A Changing World, A Changing Life
by TheSpaminator92
Summary: Sequel to A New World, A New Life. What was lost is found, and life under the mountain changes drastically. Old and new friends appear, bringing with them more mischief, fun, and danger. The Company finds love amidst it all, with, possibly, some little ones in their future. This is only a taste of all of the nonsense the dwarves of Erebor will find themselves mixed up in.
1. Chapter 1

Hello y'all, for those readers tuning in once again, I hope you enjoy this first chapter of the sequel to A New World, A New Life, and for those who have just discovered this story, I suggest you read the other one first, because it will make a lot more sense that way.

Warnings: there will be graphic battle descriptions, cursing, crude humor, huge amounts of sarcasm, sexual situations, malexmale and straight relationships, discussions of religion and culture, references and possibly graphic descriptions of rape and/or torture, mental and emotional angst, inane shenanigans, and probably a few things that I am forgetting, just know this will be a very mature fanfic and if that isn't your thing, maybe give it a go, or not, up to you. Reviews will be appreciated, especially if constructive, haters gonna hate just know if you are being over the top I will block you and report you cause I am not taking your crap.

Disclaimers: All original characters belong to me, the rest belong to the great and amazing Tolkien, and who ever else owns the stuff I will likely be referencing in this fic, like Disney, Warner brothers, Bethesda Softworks, and various singers and songwriters. If you disagree with anything I write, please respect my right to have my own opinions and I will respect your right to disagree with me.

It's a little slow at the beginning, but, beyond that, enjoy!

/And I Hope that You'll Remember Me/

It had been a year since the Battle of the Five Armies and many changes had occurred in Erebor and in the lives of her dwarves, in the lives of the Company.

More and more dwarves came to the Lonely Mountain every month, resettling it's halls, bringing with them their crafts and their skills, and their families, adding to the prosperity of Erebor, it's population ever growing.

The merchant's district was always teeming with life, full of bodies and voices as dwarrows and dwarrowdams went about what were becoming their everyday lives, buy and selling wares, food, and services, bartering and talking and laughing. Dori, as the Guild Master of Erebor, his micro-managing and peacekeeping skills being put to good use, kept everyone in line and everything running as smoothly as it could in a city of dwarves, and, thus, all of the merchants were very productive, prosperous, and cooperative, if a little annoyed by the strongest member of the King's Company.

The mines were productive again, though many of the shafts had yet to be restored to workable conditions, but they were making head way, especially with Bofur and Bifur as the foremen of the entire operation. The two Broadbeams were excellent at managing all of the miners and directing them in the restoration of the shafts and proper mining operations. There had been some grumbling, initially, about the two commoners, no matter the fact that they were members of the King's Company, being in charge of the mines instead of some aristocrat from the Iron Hills, but the royal family had made it quite clear it was not up for discussion, and the grumbling quickly quieted.

The treasury of Erebor was busy distributing gold for the restoration of the city, for the all of the damage left behind by Smaug's tenure and the internment of all of his victims that they were still finding in the blocked off or closed off areas of the yet uninhabited portions of the city. There was also the matter of doling out money to pay all of the miners, smiths, and other workers necessary to refine and work with all of the raw material produced by the mines. Gloin was having quite the time managing all of the money of Erebor without actually going into the treasury, something he tried to desperately avoid, in light of what had happened the last time he had gone in there, but he was managing.

There was also the matter of the rebuilding of Dale and the still developing trade networks and agreements between Dale, Mirkwood, and Erebor.

Dale and Erebor were both being rebuilt and restored in record time, their peoples happier than they had been in a century, even if their kings were not.

Bard and Thranduil had little to do with Thorin, the now crowned and official king of Erebor, because, despite the pleas made in the letters of a woman they all mourned, neither could yet find it in themselves to forgive Thorin for causing her death, not yet at least, so, while there was peace between their kingdoms, the kings rarely interacted, Thranduil and Bard outright avoiding Thorin, most of the elves of Mirkwood following their king's lead.

But the remaining tension between the royals of the three kingdoms did not stop life from going on within their walls.

Nori kept the city in line in a different way than Dori did the different industries he watched over, because Nori was the Spymaster of Erebor. He kept track of all of the goings on in Erebor, just as he had planned, and kept trouble from brewing or from coming to fruition within the mountain, his many minions watching over the city from the many hidden passageways of the walls and rooms, some even stationed in the area surrounding Erebor, reporting back to him with the information they gathered so he could make use of it and make any decisions that needed making and deal with things as he saw fit.

When Nori decided that something more drastic or a bigger operation was needed to better deal with any information gathered the Captain of the Guard and Royal Guard, Dwalin, became involved. Nori and Dwalin would work together to deal with anyone and anything that might threaten Erebor, her king, or her people, with the help of the members of the City Guard and some of Nori's minions, both now working together to protect all that they held dear, the way they both had for years, though in very different ways, and they did so in such a way that one would not have guessed that barely a year and a half previous they could barely cooperate with each other.

Their mutual mission to protect Erebor is why Nori and Dwalin found themselves, along with a large contingent of the City Guard, tracking a band of orcs that had ventured too close to their borders.

/Oh, Should My People Fall, Then/

As he rode quietly and swiftly on his pony, alongside his lover and their comrades in arms, hot on the trail of the orcs they were tracking through the forests surrounding the Lonely Mountain, Nori could not help but think about all of the things that had changed in the year since the Battle of the Five Armies.

Nori recalled the first few months after the Battle clearly, so unlike the three weeks within the mountain that he, nor any of the other older dwarves of the Company, had any recollection of, as a flurry of activity involved in starting to get rid of the debris, put the dead to rest, make the mountain livable again, and get supplies. He thought about all of the people that had needed managing and providing for, the messages and preparations needed to get everyone who wished to come from the Blue Mountains to Erebor, and all the work that yet needed to be done to truly restore the dwarven kingdom.

The entirety of the remaining Company, sans their hobbit, whom they had sent home with Gandalf and a few chests of gold, because Bilbo would take nothing else, as the only thing he wanted was something they could not give, no matter how much they had all wanted to, had all gladly thrown themselves into the work of rebuilding their home, if only to distract them from their grief.

They had all worked themselves to the bone until Erebor was back into some semblance of working order, some networks and services having been successfully set up, even if they were basic at best, at which point Thorin gave the remaining Company members their titles and official jobs within the mountain. Nori knew that Thorin had not originally planned on giving important positions to everyone in the Company, as, though he had regarded them all as friends and allies, he had not regarded them as some of the most capable or intelligent dwarves, but that had ended up being exactly what happened, because their king felt that there was no one better to put in charge of all of the important industries of the mountain than those whose loyalty had been tested in the many perils they had found themselves assailed by during their journey to Erebor, and Thorin did not feel he could trust anyone else as much as them, knowing they would tell him what he needed to hear rather than what he wanted to, and that was what a king needed from his friends and advisors, so they had all proudly, if tiredly, taken on their new roles within the mountain and had begun work in their areas of expertise and new spheres of influence to restore Erebor to it's former glory.

But, no matter how devoted Nori was to his work, he was more devoted to his family, and he could not help but notice how much they had changed over the course of the last year, how tired they had become from working all of the time to restore their home, and to avoid dealing with their grief, grief that still weighed heavily on their shoulders, even a year later, Sam's death still haunted them all, and the weight of that grief had changed them all, and not for the better.

Ori had lost some of the strength, some of the fire, he had found in himself during their quest, and it had left him seeming, to those outside of the Company, because they knew better, as timid and quiet as he had been before their quest, before everything changed. Ori was also simply not as happy as he had been, he didn't sketch, paint, or write as much as he once had, outside of his official capacity as the Royal Scribe, instead he often just sat in the memorial garden that Thorin had commissioned to be built into the mountain side in Sam's honor, staring off into space on the bench in the middle of it, doing nothing but thinking, a melancholy expression on his face. The only time Ori seemed actually happy was when he was with the Company, when he would draw them and whatever they were doing, but, when he would look through his journal, he would always find those sketches he had made of Sam, doing everything from sleeping to fighting, and some of the light in his eyes would die as he perused his old sketches, memories of days long past haunting him.

Dori no longer seemed to take as much joy from the things that once brought him much. He owned a small tea and wine shop within the city, where he conducted his business as the Guild Master from, but he no longer fussed over vintages and the kind of teas, he would just sit at one of the small tables for customers within his shop and watch the world go by around him, instead of insisting on being a part of it, he just watched the dwarves of Erebor live their lives, as absorbed in his grieved thoughts as Ori was, the same frown upon his face. Dori's interactions with others were more subdued than they had once been, the only time he acted like some semblance of his former, mother hen self, was when he was with the Company and they would all allow him to fuss over them, take care of them, and, now, they all appreciated it, because they all knew that it meant he cared for them. The sight of Dori acting like a fusspot again always helped everyone relax, even as they remembered a time when there was one more person to fuss over.

Nori knew his brothers were hurting, but they kept it mostly to themselves, as they always had, not wanting to burden others with their problems, a habit all three sons of Fitoria shared, always wary of demanding too much of each other, and everyone else, because the Company was still grieving, especially as today was the anniversary of Sam's death, and he regretted not being there for them this day, but duty called.

Nori's thoughts drifted to the rest of the Company, the rest of his family, some whom were much more obvious in their grief than others.

Bifur had become increasingly more withdrawn over the last year, outside of his job as a foreman, he barely talked, barely carved toys, and more often than not could be found in the memorial garden just staring off into space, but, unlike Ori, you could not wake him from his thoughts, he had to wake himself. He was becoming lost to them for longer and longer periods of time, and it scared the Company, but Oin said there was nothing to be done for it medically, as he could find no reason besides grief, and exhaustion from working so hard to get the mines back up and running at full capacity, for the changes in his behavior, so all they could do was continue to take care of him, and each other, as they had been, and hope for the best.

Bofur did not smile and laugh as much as he once did, having lost some of the twinkle in his eye and love for life along with Sam, the wrongness of of her death eating at him, something still telling him it was just so inherently wrong, that she should still be alice, and that left him far less jovial than he had been. Bofur still tried to keep the spirits of the Company up though, he smiled and laughed the most for them, and was able to get them to do the same, somehow, someway, whether it be by acting like an idiot or something else. He had been glad to discover that, while it hurt them all to remember, it still comforted them, when he told all of the stories and sang the songs that Sam had for them, bringing smiles and wonder to the eyes of the little dwarrowlings of Erebor as they sat at his feet, listening intently. Those were some of the few moments when Bifur seemed to be his old self again, carving characters as his cousin told their stories.

But, sometimes, and it always surprised them when this happened, Bofur and Bifur found that a few of the dwarrowlings already knew the stories they told, mostly those newly arrived from Rhun, and it was on the nights after those discoveries that Bofur would take out the one thing of Sam's he had, the deformed dog toy that had been the first thing she had ever carved, and he would stare at it, running his hands over the uneven surfaces of the toy, and wonder if they had been wrong.

Bombur was now the Royal Cook and, as such, he ran the kitchens in charge of feeding the Company and their families, as well as all of the lesser kitchens in charge of feeding those who kept the city running, such as the City Guard. Bombur kept the small cookbook that Sam had given him close, though he had filled it by now, and he tried, like his brother, to bring levity back to the lives of the Company, through their meals. Bombur would make good food for the Company and their families, food that brought back memories of happier times, that would cause stories to be told and laughs to be heard.

Dis and Midala (Gloin's wife) had been so mad, and terribly amused, by the story of how most of the Company had been caught bathing butt naked in a fountain by Sam in Rivendell, and the prank she had pulled on them in retaliation, her subsequent reaction to Thorin's apology only making the two dwarven ladies laugh harder.

But the food also reminded the Company of what they had all lost, so some melancholy would still linger at the meals of the Company. Bombur would often find himself tearing up as he cooked, memories of days spent on the road cooking with Bilbo and Sam assailing him, and sometimes he would just have to stop whatever he was doing, especially when he was making mutton with garlic and rosemary, and breathe, just to keep his emotions in check, and those times the Company would pick up on his distress and the meal would be quiet, so Bombur's efforts simultaneously worked and backfired on him, more often than not.

Oin had simply become a more crotchety old dwarf than any of them had ever known him to be before their quest. He was short tempered and demanding of all of the healers under him as the Royal Healer and dwarf in charge of the city infirmary, where all dwarves hurt in the defense and upkeep of their home were brought to be treated. Oin was also far less forgiving of any shortcomings of any of those below him, whereas he had always been willing, before, to try and teach or coach whomever it was so that they could overcome whatever issues they had, but not now, Oin had become the tyrant of the infirmary and many of the younger healers were scared of him, when once they would not have been.

Sometimes Gloin actually had to tell Oin off when he was being too harsh, because the Company and his family were the only ones who did not have to put up with this new persona of Oin's, and he listened to them, so in those instances when Gloin, or another member of the Company, for that matter, had to tell him to take it down a notch, he listened.

It disturbed the Company that their previously rather kindly, if demanding, old git of a healer had become such a cantankerous bugger to others, but they knew that was just how his grief was manifesting, that he was pushing everyone but those closest to him away, to stave off anymore grief.

Gloin was likely the one of the Company dealing with his grief the best, the presence of his wife, Midala, and son, Gimli, who had arrived with Dis just a few short months after Erebor was reclaimed, comforting and calming him, keeping the grief from taking hold to tightly, especially since, as the Royal Banker, he was in charge of the treasury, and he was always wary of the gold, of what it could do to him again, what it might take from him again, and that only added to his stress. But Gloin, and Oin, usually, could be brought out of his melancholy thoughts by spending time with his small family, something that often had a positive affect on the rest of the Company as well, the stress of the day and any sad thoughts melting away as he talked with his wife and taught his son all manner of things, teaching him things he once would not have, had it not been for a young woman he had so misjudged at their first meeting.

Balin was Thorin's Royal Advisor, so he sat in on all meetings, discussions, and anything official that might require some kind of political, social, or economic finagling, and it was draining to the old dwarf. Balin was less and less the energetic, kind, and grandfatherly old dwarf that most of them knew, all of the politics and underhandedness that came with it wearing him down, making him more detached and clinical in his dealings with others, outside of the Company of course, earning him a reputation of being a bit of a hard ass, though he could still charm people when necessary. All of the hope and faith in the goodness of the world that Sam had cultivated in Balin, things he had not felt since long before they had met, with her simple awe of the world, her fortitude, and her selflessness, had died with her, and he was again reminded of how cruel the world could be. Balin's grief and renewed lack of faith in the world had made him act like a more typical politician that the truly good dwarf the Company was familiar with, and while it bothered them, they could understand.

Thorin, unsurprisingly, had simply become more grumpy and standoffish that he had been, putting off many of the aristocrats that had come from the Iron Hills, ostensibly to help rebuild Erebor, but really only to get some of the gold, the greedy buggers. If he had been difficult to deal with before, he was even worse now, becoming almost unbearably grumpy, demanding, and rigid, making all of the meetings he and Balin had to attend go much less smoothly that they would have before, but none could doubt the devotion of the king to his people and his kingdom, how much he had already managed to do in a year, so everyone kept their discontent with his attitude to themselves. The Company, and Dis, seemed to be the only ones who could make him smile or relax at all, and they were the only ones that got away with telling him he was being an ass and ridiculously unpleasant, telling him that it was not helping anyone rebuild Erebor or take care of their people.

Thorin would take their advice, and relax a bit in the memorial garden, remembering what kind of king the woman it was built in honor of had wanted him to be, and the guilt that came with the realization that he wasn't being that king would make him act more cordial, but his grief would, inevitably, cause him to return to his normal attitude within a few days, but those who knew him knew that was all they could ask of him, he wasn't ready for anything else.

Fili's role as the Crown Prince of Erebor was taking it's toll on him, the constant demands for him to be proper and respectable, to act like a proper prince should, was demanding and grating on his nerves, because he could not act like himself, because the members of the court did not want him to act like himself, because they thought that silly, young dwarf he had been was not someone who was fit to rule one day, so he tried to conform to their wishes, and it made him miserable. Fili had become more subdued and serious, even when he was with the Company, because he was just so tired and stressed by everything that was being asked of him, and his grief just made him more so, darkening what sense of humor he had retained, making him, overall, a much less happy and sweet dwarf than he had been, the fact that Kili was not acting like the goofball they all knew only darkening the golden haired prince further.

Kili was simply not acting like the young dwarf they had all known his entire life. He was more angry and irritable that he had been, always seeming to be in a perpetually bad mood, too much like Thorin for even Thorin to be comfortable with, the king not having any idea what to make of the change in his youngest nephew, everyone more alarmed by the changes in the youngest prince than anyone else, save maybe Bifur, his sense of humor and playfulness all but gone. Kili performed all of his duties with a scowl on his face and a bad attitude, even as he tried to be the prince that everyone expected him to be, giving up on preserving the person he had been in his attempts to be a proper prince, his rebelliousness and drive to prove to everyone he could be who they wanted him to be and still be himself dying with Sam.

The only time anyone saw any trace of the Kili they had all known were those moments when they were all sitting around a warm hearth at night, just talking, and then they would see some of his previous silliness return as he told old stories of pranks long since pulled and mischief managed, just not enough for them to be convinced he would be alright, none of them knowing just what it was that Kili had lost when Sam had died, and how the knowledge that he would forever be alone, without his One, had affected him.

Dis did not know what to do with the changes that had come over her sons and her brother, the changes alarming and saddening her, even as she realized it had been the price to be paid for the reclamation of Erebor, because she had known, no matter what happened, whether they succeeded or they failed, none of them would ever be the same, the changes she saw had simply not been what she had expected, the reason for them even more so. The Princess of Erebor wished she could have met the young woman that had affected her loved ones so, who had made such an impression on them, and whose death hard hurt them all so horribly, Midala sharing in the sentiment.

But the others were not the only ones to have changed, for Nori himself, and Dwalin, had changed drastically, their lives had changed drastically in the last year.

In the midst of their grief and exhaustion in the months after the Battle, after everything had changed so much, Nori and Dwalin had found comfort and love in each other's arms, finally admitting to themselves something they had been dancing around and avoiding for years, something that had only become more obvious over the course of their quest, the changes in their relationship and everything that had happened after Erebor was reclaimed acting as a catalyst, forcing them to admit to themselves that they were attracted to each other and interested in each other romantically, so they had finally taken the plunge, taken the last step towards the biggest personal emotional risk either had ever taken, and possibly biggest mistake either had ever made, and had quietly begun courting each other.

It had been the best decision Dwalin and Nori had ever made in their entire lives.

Despite everything that had happened, Dwalin and Nori were happy with each other, regardless of their differences. Both had come to accept that there were just things about each other that they could not change, and realized they didn't want to change, learning to agree to disagree and just enjoy each other, because, life was so short, who knew how long they would get to be together, death having struck too close to home too recently for either of them to be willing to waste anymore time being afraid of what might happen, instead of enjoying what could be, however long it was theirs to enjoy.

Dwalin and Nori comforted each other in their grief, their budding and already strong relationship only growing stronger as they worked through the hard times and the loss and the exhaustion of their never ending mission to restore Erebor. They gave each other strength when times got hard, a shoulder to lean on when it all became too much, when the changes they saw in their friends and family became too much to bear, when their fears and regrets haunted them in the dead of night, and they needed something solid to ground them, they had each other, the increased intimacy and trust of their relationship making everything easier to bear, making their attraction quickly turn to love.

But, in those moments when Nori and Dwalin were truly in sync, when they were making love, their hearts beating as one, when everything seemed right with the world, for the most part, because his brothers and most of the Company lived and were alright, or getting there at least, when everything seemed peaceful, Nori still felt guilt and sorrow and loss over Sam's death, it still haunted him, like it haunted them all, because it shouldn't have happened, Sam should still be alive.

"Nori."

Nori felt a hand on his shoulder, breaking him from his thoughts, and he turned, only to find Dwalin looking at him with a mix of affection, worry, and apprehension, as it was not like the Spymaster to be distracted, especially when they were about to search a barely few hours old orc camp, hot on the trail of the orc pack that had ventured too close to their home.

Nori only smiled tightly at his love, tapping their foreheads together lightly in assurance and appreciation of his worry, before saying," It's nothin', I'm ready."

Dwalin searched Nori's eyes for a moment, assuring himself that his lover was really alright, the only trace that he wasn't was the sorrow in his eyes, the same he had in his own eyes, the anniversary of the Battle and being separated from their family on such an important day weighing on them both, but they had a job to do.

Dwalin nodded, tapping his forehead to Nori's and holding it there for a moment before signaling their men to move into the deserted camp," Let's go."

Nori gave a slight nod and, with a final squeeze of Nori's shoulder, they both moved slowly and silently into the abandoned camp.

/Surely I'll do the Same/

The contingent of the City Guard, Dwalin, and Nori spread out throughout the remnants of the orc camp within a clearing in a grove of trees, looking around for information as to why the orcs were there and what they might have with them, such as prisoners or stolen goods, as well as to try and determine where they were going, though they could obviously track them easily enough since the creatures were making no attempts to hide their presence.

Nori wandered through the camp, his sharp eyes raking the ground for anything that might prove useful or informative, and then he caught a flash of light from his torch glinting off of something metal, hidden in the dirt. Nori approached what he surmised to be a dagger, sword, or some such that was accidentally left behind when it had been covered by the dirt, hoping it might tell them how well armed the orcs were and any precautions that might need to be taken before confronting them. Nori crouched down and wiped the dirt away from the obscured object with his hand, only to go stock still as all of the air left his lungs and his eyes widened, staring at what he had just found.

It couldn't be, it just couldn't be.

There, lying in the dirt, lay a sword, a curved sword, the likes of which he had not seen since before Nori and his comrades had been left to rot in the elven dungeons of Mirkwood.

Nori picked up the sword carefully, reverently, taking a moment to ram his torch into the ground so he could hold the sword more easily and inspect it, his heart rate rising as adrenaline soared through his veins, as hope filled Nori's heart, turning the weapon so that the details of the blade and the pommel were visible.

And there it was.

There was an achingly familiar and terribly unique pattern on the pommel of the sword, worked into the leather of the grip and the metal of the handle, a pattern he had once been told was a combination of two other patterns called Celtic Knots and Greek Key. Once again Nori felt all of the breath leave his lungs, because he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Nori couldn't believe he was holding this sword in his hands, and he couldn't help but hope, even though he knew it wasn't wise to do so when the sword was not definitive proof, but, given what it might mean, Nori just couldn't help it, it was too good to be true.

But then Nori's good sense returned to him, remembering that none of Sam's weapons had been recovered after the battle, some of Nori's hope dying as he realized he might have just found a trophy that some random orc took from the battlefield. So Nori looked more carefully at the blade, angling it towards his torch, only to find that the blade of the sword, under all of the dirt and grime that covered it from being partially buried, was in excellent condition. There were no nicks, dents, or bent portions, nothing characteristic of weapons that had been used by orcs, who were loathe to take care of them properly. This sword bore none of those marks, it had been properly taken care of, properly sharpened at the right angle with a whetstone, properly washed, properly everything.

No orc had used this sword for any length of time in the last year.

But someone had definitely been using it.

It had been in this condition the last time Nori saw it.

The last time Nori had seen the sword was when Sam had used it in Mirkwood.

Nori's eyes widened in realization.

Nori jumped up, grabbed his torch, and went in search of Dwalin, who he quickly found poking around the edge of the camp.

"Dwalin."

The way Nori spoke his name instantly had Dwalin's attention, the larger dwarf swiftly turning to face his lover, not expecting the hope and joy that he found in the former thief's eyes as they made eye contact, having grown so used to seeing some trace of sorrow or grief in them in the past year.

Dwalin just cocked an eyebrow at Nori, searching his eyes, looking for some clue as to what had brought his mood so high, confused by this development in light of their current situation and the date, until Nori held out the sword, then Dwalin's world came crashing to a halt.

Dwalin stared down at the familiar sword in his love's hands, uncomprehending, until he took it in his own hands, just as reverently as Nori had, and looked at it some more, lowering his head to study the blade, a quick reality check reminding him to be skeptical of something that seemed a miracle.

But, as Dwalin looked over the blade, seeing the same lack of indications that it had been used by an orc, his eyes widened to the size of saucers as he came to the same conclusions Nori had, raising his head to look at Nori, the looks in their eyes identical.

Despite the fact that both of them knew better, despite the fact that the evidence was almost non-existent, despite the fact that the odds were against them, despite the fact that too much time had gone by, Dwalin and Nori had hope.

Dwalin and Nori had hope that Sam was alive.

/Confined in the Mountain Halls We/

I hope you all enjoyed that. ;)

So, this time around I plan on sticking to approximately 5,000 word chapters because they are easier to edit, and crank out, and because I have less time on my hands now to write, but I still want to give y'all relatively regular updates.

I will still try to update at least once a week, still trying for more than that, but no promises, and, if I miss a week for whatever reason, I am sorry, just give me some time before you start poking me.

Reviews are always appreciated! Until next time! ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Standard disclaimers apply!

Enjoy!

/Got Too Close to the Flame!/

Given that Sam's sword had been discovered in an orc camp, Dwalin and Nori surmised that Sam was being held prisoner by the orc pack they were tracking. They found evidence to support that conclusion when they discovered a spot in the camp that showed signs of someone, about Sam's size (Nori and Dwalin felt a little more justified in their hope), laying there for an extended period of time, the fact that they found a small amount of blood mixed in with the dirt further supported the idea that she was a prisoner, as orcs always had a bit of "fun" with those they captured.

Nori and Dwalin knew there was a good chance that Sam was injured and would need immediate medical attention, so they decided that, if she was indeed with the orcs and badly injured, Nori would immediately ride her to Erebor to see Oin, as he was the lighter, thus faster, of the two dwarves, while Dwalin would finish dealing with the orcs, gather information, and try to find as much of Sam's things as possible, as they both knew just how attached she was to her weapons.

As much as the thought of Sam being hurt by the foul creatures that were orcs pained them, the fact that there was a good chance she was alive only made Nori and Dwalin feel elated, despite their reservations about what they might find.

Nori and Dwalin informed their men that the orcs had a prisoner with them that was likely badly injured, leaving out who exactly they thought it was, as many of the dwarves of Erebor still regarded her and Bilbo as traitors, even though Thorin had rescinded that judgement, and, thus, their group would increase the speed of their chase so they caught up with their quarry by the end of the day, as it was currently dawn.

They were barely a day out from Erebor, if Sam really was injured, Nori would be able to get her there within a few hours, if he pushed his pony hard enough.

The Spymaster and Captain of the Guard laid out a basic plan of attack for their men: they would try to draw the orcs out of their camp by making little noises here and there, lessening the danger of the prisoner being harmed when they fought the orcs, and, if possible, finish them all outside of the camp, then go free the prisoner.

With their plan in mind, and hope in the hearts of Nori and Dwalin, they set out after the orcs.

/Calling Out Father, Oh!/

It only took Nori, Dwalin, and their men about fifteen minutes to do away with the majority of the orc pack, the leader the only one that had needed to be confronted within the actual camp. The hulking creature had been a bit more difficult to deal with because he had a large, two handed battle axe, but, as he didn't really know how to use his weapon, he had ended up as dead as all of the others, falling to Dwalin's battle axes and Nori's daggers.

Dwalin and Nori, and their men, immediately started looking over the area for a prisoner, as soon as they had piled the corpses of the orcs and set them aflame.

Nori was the one who found her.

Nori spotted a dark shape at the base of a tree, unmoving, making no sound whatsoever. He approached it carefully, ready to attack should he need to, but, as he got closer, he realized that the shape was a human, and about the right height to be Sam. Nori then threw caution to the wind and approached the person at a sprint, dropping to his knees beside her as he recognized the face under all the cuts and bruises and scars and blood.

It was Sam.

"Dwalin!"

As his lover made his way over to Nori and their lass, Nori felt his elation at finding Sam alive die as he gently cradled her to his chest, surveying the damage done to her as he looked down at her face, her body, at how much she had changed over the last year.

This was not the young woman they had met almost two years ago in Bag End.

Through the rips in her all but destroyed clothes, and on her exposed skin, Nori could see Sam was covered in scars, even her lips seemed to bear scars, and Nori knew she hadn't had any of them the last time they had seen her, his blood running cold as his mind conjured up the things that Sam may have had to endure that might have resulted in the scars he now saw on her body, the criss-cross of long, thin scars on her arms, the deeper, though fewer, gouges on her legs. But that wasn't all, she was covered in fresh wounds, no doubt from the orcs they had just slain, welts and cuts and gashes and bruises covered every inch of skin he could see. Sam's face was almost obscured by the blood leaking from a gash at her hair line, her hair messy and matted with blood from the wound, leaves and twigs hanging from the limp, unevenly cut strands, the orcs apparently having cut it off with a knife, trying to weaken her will, possibly taking her for a dwarf, and understanding what that might have meant to a dwarven lady.

Sam was deathly pale, her eyes remaining closed, no sign of her being anywhere near conscious, concealing the jade green orbs that Nori had missed for the past year with sickly lids. Nori took note of how light she was, weighing almost nothing in his arms, her skin fevered and clammy to the touch.

Sam was in awful shape, and they needed to get her to Erebor as soon as possible.

"Nori, did you find her?"

Dwalin had sprinted toward the portion of the camp that he had seen Nori head to when the search had commenced as soon as he heard the former thief's slightly excited call for him. Dwalin came up behind the kneeling and slightly hunched Nori quickly, noticing how he was rocking slightly, completely unaware of his surroundings, focused on the person in his arms, even though it was obvious the person he was holding wasn't conscious, only for the larger dwarf to stop and stare at the figure in his love's arms, at a face he had never hoped to see again.

Dwalin dropped to his knees next to Nori, immediately realizing that Sam needed medical attention as soon as possible, the blood and her unresponsiveness making his own blood run cold, but unable to keep himself from reaching out and gently wiping some of the blood away from her cheek, rubbing his thumb over the fevered flesh a few times as Nori simply continued to stare at their lass, at someone they had thought dead and mourned for a year. Dwalin could not quite believe she was there and alive, that their Sam was alive, as injured as she was, because it was still more than they had ever hoped for, the state of her armor after the Battle making them all lose hope, but she actually was alive, ensconced in Nori's arms, safe and breathing, and Oin would do his best to take care of her, they knew he would.

Nori looked at Dwalin, his expression simultaneously scared, determined, happy, and sad, his mind a whirlwind of emotions in light of the fact he had Sam, alive and breathing in his arms, but knowing they needed to get moving soon if she was going to survive.

Dwalin knew exactly what Nori was thinking, and they nodded at each other, pushing their foreheads together for a minute, both taking deep breaths to get their emotions under control, as they would be no use to their lass if they were both emotional messes, before Dwalin stood up and began to move away, even as his eyes kept flicking between Nori and Sam, both worried and excited, mumbling," I'll get your pony."

/Hold Fast and We Will/

Nori was almost to Erebor.

The star haired dwarf was moving at a roaring gallop on his pony, swiftly moving across the hilly, wooded landscape, his pony expertly avoiding anything that might stand in their way, as if sensing the urgency of his master, sensing something precious was on the line.

Nori held Sam, now wrapped in a blanket with some of her more grievous wounds wrapped in field dressings, to his chest with one arm as the other held the reigns, looking straight ahead, knowing if he looked down at Sam he would be distracted by his worry, and he needed to keep his head clear if he was going to get to Erebor quickly, and met out orders when he got there.

Nori was so focused on the land and what he would need to do when he got to Erebor, that he didn't notice his bundle was moving slightly, until he felt a clammy and sweat coated hand on his cheek, accompanied by a whisper of a voice he had missed, one that instantly made him feel relaxed, joy bubbling in his chest, because it meant she was truly alive," Nori? "

The middle son of Fitoria gently pressed his cheek into Sam's palm as he looked down at her, now that she was awake and speaking to him, he couldn't help it, becoming distracted be damned, because their lass was alive and talking to him.

Sam still looked awful, covered in bruises and blood, wrapped in a blanket with only her gray face peeking out, but her green eyes were open and aware, if pained and a bit sorrowful, but the sorrow left the jade depths as her eyes met Nori's, and they both smiled, small and strained though they were, the two so happy to see one another after so long.

Tears came to both of their eyes as Nori lowered his head, their eyes keeping contact, not caring a bit about the blood on her face, and tapped their foreheads together gently, murmuring," Save your strength, namadith, little sista', my dea', dea' Sam," now tears were flowing down both of their faces, because this was the first time either had talked to each other in a year, and a month," our dea' lass, we're almos' home, an' then our dea' Oin will take righ' goo' care o' you."

Nori closed his eyes and took a deep breath with his forehead still pressed to Sam's, then tightened his hold on her, urged his pony to go faster and once more watched the landscape go by like a hawk watching it's prey.

But Sam didn't care about saving her strength, she wasn't thinking about herself, only protecting those she still loved, even after a year of banishment, she had always been watching, watching for anything that might cause trouble for her dwarves, her lack of awareness of her surroundings in her haste to get to Erebor likely the reason she had been caught by the orcs in the first place. That was why she had something she needed to tell Nori, something that could be the difference between life or death for their dear royals, because treachery and ambition was growing in the South, so, though her voice was weak and pained, as her body was, Sam's will and stubbornness won out, as it usually did, so she spoke," No, Zorro, you need to listen to me, a threat is coming to Erebor."

Now that had Nori's attention, his face instantly whipping down to look Sam in the eye, alarm and shock on his face, wondering what in the world she could be talking about, before the other emotions on his face were replaced by a calculating look that Sam knew all too well, the former thief realizing that, after a year away, Sam likely knew things he didn't.

Knowing that she now had Nori's attention, Sam told him all that she knew, the dwarf instantly coming up with a plan on how to deal with the threat, but, as a result of how injured she was and how much effort it took for her to stay awake and speak, Sam passed out just as they reached the gates of Erebor.

/Watch the Flames Burn Auburn on the Mountainside!/

"Get a stretcher! Now!"

The guards milling about at the guard station of the front gate of Erebor turned suddenly at the cry of the Spymaster, someone none of them had thought they would see for a few days at least, all of them aware that their Captain, Dwalin, had gone with the former thief to deal with a pack of orcs. It took them all a few moments to realize just why Nori was there when he should have been hunting orcs, even as they moved to follow his orders.

They all finally noticed that their superior was holding a human, based on the size of the bundle in his arms, the limpness of the form telling them that the person was badly hurt, increasing the urgency of their movements as they realized this was likely a orc prisoner than needed their help. More guards began bustling about as Nori ordered the posts of those carrying the stretcher be filled by those who had been loitering around, all of whom were actually off duty, causing a bit of mumbling to be heard by those discontented with the Spymaster's orders, but Nori's decidedly fierce and rather more scary than usual glare had them all scuttling to follow his orders, all posts soon filled with vigilant looking guards, even though none of them were happy about it.

Nori gently maneuvered and handed the unconscious Sam down to another guard, telling him to be careful with her or else, the wide eyed guard nodding as he gulped, not being one who wanted to incur the wrath of the Spymaster, someone that none of them really liked because of the nature of his job of watching people, and doing sneaky stuff, all of them wary of the things he might do to them from the shadows, though no one could doubt his loyalty to Erebor, and thus they followed his orders. Nori finally hopped off his pony, handing it's reigns to the stable master, and walked close to Sam's head as they approached the guard station proper. Sam was then laid upon (gently, because Nori was watching all of the guards with an expression that said they were in very deep shit if they did not treat her with the utmost care, even though none of them had a clue as to why the usually rather stoic Spymaster cared so much about this one human woman) one of the longer stretchers they had stashed in the guard station for such occasions as this, one of the many medical supplies that they had on hand in case of injuries, an innovation that Oin had insisted upon, and Nori was glad he had.

The troop of guards picked up the surprisingly light stretcher, Nori hissing at them all to be careful as some nearly over balanced themselves because they had expected more weight, none of them having realized that the human was horribly under a healthy weight, making them understand a bit why their superior was being so fussy, as she was in bad shape.

Nori stayed close to the human woman's head as they began walking out of the entrance to Erebor, many of the guards surprised by the expression of worry and trepidation on his face as his eyes kept flicking between Sam's face and their surroundings, and they set off for the infirmary, which was on one of the top levels of the mountain on the left side, near the royal quarters. Nori sent someone off to clear the way on some of the main thoroughfares and side streets so there would be as few delays as possible, but he didn't send a messenger to the infirmary because none of the guards were swift enough in their armor to get there quick enough to be useful, and none of his own minions were around.

So they all went, as swiftly as they could, over the high, sometimes narrow, walkways of Erebor to the city infirmary, going up flights of stairs as quickly and gently as possible, Nori always staying close and making sure Sam didn't fall off the stretcher and that she wasn't jostled too much, the dwarves making way for the injured being moved through their city.

The only time Nori left Sam's side was when they got to the actual infirmary and Nori burst through the doors, directing the guards to place Sam on the nearest vacant bed, which happened to be the one directly to the left of the doors, gently and carefully, and then return to their posts and relieve their replacements, as they were no longer needed.

The Spymaster then sprinted down the length of the long hall of healing to find Oin, telling other healers to begin tending to Sam along the way, all obeying because they knew it would displease Oin if they didn't heed another member of the King's Company.

/Desolation Comes Upon the Sky/

Nori found Oin working on some medicines at his small apothecary station, hidden in a corner at the end of the hall, away from the general bustle of the rest of the healers so he could concentrate on his brews and potions and ointments.

"Oin! We need your help!"

The old dwarf started when Nori put his hand on Oin's arm and began to bodily drag him away from his work toward the front of the hall, where the old healer could see his subordinates tending to someone new, someone he was sure had something to do with why Nori was back so soon from the orc hunt. Oin eyed the Spymaster before jerking his arm away, now standing with his arms crossed and a slightly annoyed look on his face, because he really didn't like being dragged, interrupted, or left in the dark when something had obviously happened.

"Nori, what in the world is going on? Why are you here and not with Dwalin? And who is that?"

Oin was pointing at the still figure of a human on the bed nearest the doors of the infirmary, the fact that it was a human the only thing keeping him from worrying that Dwalin was hurt, which would certainly be a reason for Nori to be back so soon, and so worried. The elder son of Groin took note of the nervous energy that the Spymaster was exhibiting, the worry in his eyes and on his face, something Oin had only ever seen rarely, as Nori was usually very composed and in control of himself, especially when he was working.

Now that confused Oin, because who outside of the Company would Nori get so worked up over?

Oin was even more more confused when, despite his obvious distress over the state of whoever was lying on a cot in the front of his infirmary, Nori smiled, a familiar and long missed mischievous twinkle in his eyes, though it was a bit overshadowed by his worry, it was still something Oin had not seen in Nori for a year, not since Sam had died. The star haired dwarf simply replied to Oin, excitement now in his eyes as well," You'll see, Oin, you'll see."

Oin stared at Nori, even as the former thief only smiled wider at his incredulous expression, an almost full blown grin on his face, throwing Oin for even more of a loop, as he was unable to determine a reason Nori would be acting this way, outside of a miracle he knew better than to even consider.

Finally, Oin just shook his head at Nori and headed towards his new patient at a brisk walk, Nori easily keeping stride with him, younger dwarf that he was.

When Oin got to the cot he shouldered his way through the bustling of the other healers, situating himself near the head of the bed where he had a good vantage point and could easily give orders. Oin took note of all of the injuries the person he now realized was a human woman had sustained from the orcs, the evidence of past trauma in the form of her many scars apparent on her now exposed skin, as the other healers had taken away the blanket and were carefully cutting away her clothes and checking the field dressings. Oin was mentally guestimating the amount of stitches that would be needed and what her chances of surviving such extensive damage would be, and then he looked at her face, and he froze, his whole world coming to a crashing, screeching halt.

It was Sam.

Oin stared at her for a few moments, in complete shock that she was alive and breathing, if shallowly, in his infirmary, this girl they had thought dead for a year.

Oin turned to Nori, who was outright grinning now as he clapped the old healer on the back in mutual celebration, the elation on Oin's own face mirrored in Nori's, the former thief obviously pleased by his reaction, still apparently a little giddy from the discovery himself. Oin could not quite comprehend how Nori had managed to find her while out looking for orcs.

Orcs.

Sam had been tortured by orcs.

He needed to take care of her now, to the best of his ability, and make sure she stayed alive, because they couldn't lose her again.

Oin began meting out orders, quickly, efficiently, and very demandingly, to his subordinates, who all seemed slightly confused by the reactions of their two superiors to the human woman, but they all knew better than to say anything or question them, at least right now. Oin put his bare hand to Sam's forehead to feel her temperature, lightly stroking his thumb across the bridge of her nose, the only show of affection he would allow himself at the moment, his heart still clenching at the fact that she was alive and warm beneath his hand, too warm in fact. Oin took a cloth sitting in a bowl of water on the table next to the cot and set it on Sam's forehead to help cool her fever, and set about cleaning and tending to her many wounds, completely forgetting about Nori as he got absorbed in his work even more so than normal because of who's life was on the line.

Oin finally remembered Nori was there when the now very twitchy dwarf, as he wanted to do something to help Sam but did not have the needed skills to do so, at least not without some kind of direction, poked his shoulder, asking," Is there anything I can do?"

Oin's scowl softened as he turned to look at his dear friend, knowing how much feeling useless bothered Nori, but there was nothing to be done for it, having someone milling around and in the way would do none of them any favors, so, gently, Oin said," No, Nori, there is nothing you can do for now, but I would appreciate it if you would wait outside until I come to get you," Nori's face fell a little as Oin patted him on the shoulder before saying, as he turned and got back to work," Don't worry too much Nori, she is in good hands, I will do everything I can for her, and then some, besides, she's too damn stubborn to give up. I'll come get you when we have her stable, why don't you go and rest or something? You've had a long journey."

With a last small, but hopeful, smile shared between the two Company members, Nori left the infirmary, only to stop right outside the doors, as he knew he wouldn't be able to rest with how worked up he was, but didn't know what to do with himself.

And then Nori had the perfect idea, and he sprinted off into Erebor.

/Now I See Fire, Inside the Mountain!/

Bofur and Bifur were in a tunnel branching off of the main mine shaft talking to some miners about how to properly put in and secure the supports necessary to make the tunnel safe and usable as an access point for a new vein of silver than had been discovered. The two Broadbeams helped the six other miners measure out the supports and then showed them how to set them into the walls and ceiling of the tunnel as a demo of how to properly do so for the rest of the length of the tunnel.

Bofur and Bifur had just stepped back, wiping the sweat from their dirty brows, as they were covered in dirt and grime from being underground mining for hours on end, from the hard labor and warmth of several bodies being in close proximity in an enclosed space, to watch the six miners they had just taught how to engineer a safe mine shaft install a set of supports without their help, when they heard a very familiar voice echoing down the main shaft, calling their names.

Bifur and Bofur just looked at each other, shrugging in tandem, as neither knew why Nori was calling for them, or what he was even doing there, as he was supposed to be out hunting orcs. As the duo made their way down to the entrance of the tunnel, knowing if Nori was calling to them from the top of the shaft in the middle of the day while he knew they were working meant something was up, one of their subordinates dropped into view, saying," Spymaster Nori has requested that you both immediately return to the top of the shaft and speak to him."

Bofur and Bifur nodded at the miner, who was glad they didn't ask him why the Spymaster wanted them because Nori hadn't said, ever grateful that the two foremen of Erebor's mines were congenial and easy going dwarves that seldom got mad, said foremen taking the mine chairs that he had brought down with him and strapping themselves in, a tug on the cable commencing their ascendance to the top of the shaft.

/I See Fire, Burning the Trees!/

Nori couldn't help but smile as he saw Bifur and Bofur get out of their mine chairs and begin to walk over to him, confused expressions on their faces, the middle son of Fitoria more excited and happy than he really should be given the state Sam was in, but he couldn't deny how eager he was to tell his friends the news, anticipating them being as excited and happy about it as he was, a nice change from how solemn they had all been for the past year.

Nori schooled his features as his friends got closer, not wanting to spoil the surprise with a ridiculously wide grin, taking on a decidedly more serious expression than he had been wearing moments before, though the twinkle in his eyes was far from gone.

"Nori, wha' in the worl' are ya doin' 'ere? Shouldn' ya be off wit' Dwalin?" Bofur paused for a moment, thinking about what could have happened that would bring Nori back to Erebor so soon, and all the color drained from his face, asking, as Bifur came to stand beside him, looking at Nori for any indication of what was going on with his arms crossed, curious," Did something happen to Dwalin?"

Bifur looked at his cousin with wide eyes, his posture immediately going rigid and tense, a sure sign that the eldest Broadbeam was worried, before his gaze returned to Nori. Both of the miners were now concerned for the well being of the Company's professional warrior, the thought that the anniversary of Sam's death had made him distracted enough in a fight to have gotten hurt taking hold, making both of their hearts thump as adrenaline coursed through their veins as a result of their apprehension, a cold fear taking hold of their hearts at the thought of losing one friend on the anniversary of the death of another.

But all of their fear and apprehension was for naught, as, after a dramatic pause, because Nori was ornery like that, Bifur and Bofur both immediately relaxed when Nori gave them a beaming and happy smile, the mischievous twinkle in his eyes that had been missing for the last year suddenly returned, surprising both of the Broadbeams, making them wonder what had happened to bring it back, even as Nori said," No, no, Dwalin's fine. Nothin's happened ta our big lug, bu' somethin' 'as happened, an' neither o' ya are eva' gonna guess wha'."

Bifur smacked Nori upside the head, causing the Spymaster to momentarily lose his grin in favor of a slightly pained expression as he looked at Bifur askance, scowling slightly at the dwarf for hitting him as he rubbed the back of his head, not bothering to try and fix his hair, as it had been doomed the moment he flew like a bat out of hell across Middle Earth to try and get to Erebor as quickly as possible, becoming a wild, windswept mess in moments.

Bofur put in his two cents, shaking his head with a slightly amused expression and a cocked eyebrow, saying," Serves ya righ' for scarin' us like tha'. Now, wha' is this abou' somethin' big happenin' tha' we won' be able ta guess?"

At Bofur's question, a fox grin returned to Nori's face, excitement in his eyes, the Broadbeams glancing at each other, neither knowing what could possibly have happened to make Nori act like his old self again, but glad to see it nonetheless, because the members of the Company sometimes didn't recognize each other with how they acted so differently nowadays, a certain prince in particular coming to mind, so a once more crazy-like-a-fox Nori was a sight for sore eyes. The sight eased Bofur and Bifur's minds slightly, because they knew something good had to have happened to draw that kind of reaction from Nori.

Nori, debating with himself how best to break the news to the two miners, suddenly remembered that he had Sam's sword strapped to his back, as they had found it's missing scabbard in a pile of weapons in the orc camp, taking it along as proof that Sam was found just in case anyone didn't believe him, at first.

So Nori reached behind him and grasped the handle of the sword sticking up from behind his left shoulder, Bifur and Bofur becoming even more confused because neither had noticed it previously and they had never known Nori to strap a sword to his back, always preferring his daggers or long mace to any other weapon, but, as the former thief drew the sword slowly from it's scabbard, the two elder Broadbeams went rigid with shock, instantly recognizing the blade.

It was Sam's sword.

As Bifur and Bofur stared at the sword in Nori's hand, utterly stunned, an onslaught of memories of a girl they dearly missed coursing through their minds, then everything suddenly came to a screeching halt, because they both recalled how no trace of Sam had been found on the battle field aside from her armor.

Which begged the question, where had the sword come from?

It was at that point they recalled all the little ones that had already known Sam's stories, and then it dawned on them.

Nori's smile turned from a mischievous one to something far more gentle and heartfelt as he saw the expressions of awe and joy come over Bofur and Bifur's faces, knowing they had come to the same conclusion that he and Dwalin had not even two days prior, but they were looking at him beseechingly, desperately wanting to believe that their Sam was alive, but unwilling to let their hearts believe it unless confirmation came from a trustworthy source, and Nori was the one to provide it, so, after he had sheathed Sam's sword once more, he said," Sam's alive. Our lass is alive. She's-"

Before Nori had a chance to finish his statement he was engulfed in a group hug with Bofur and Bifur, who were laughing and whooping, all three of them jumping up and down in a circle as Nori joined in, finally feeling like he could celebrate the way he and Dwalin hadn't been able to when they found Sam, making quite a spectacle of themselves as all of the miners and forge workers in the area stared at them, but none saying anything because of their status as members of the King's Company.

As they all stopped hopping around like mad dwarves, Bofur, Bifur, and Nori pressed their foreheads together, arms on each other's shoulders, their joy at Sam being alive plain in their eyes and in their smiles. They all finally drew their heads back, but kept their arms on each other's shoulders, standing in a little triangle, their smiles wider and brighter than they had been in an age, and Bofur asked, because he knew there was more to the situation that they had allowed Nori to say, otherwise Sam would have come down to see them herself, he was sure of it," So where is our lass?"

Nori's face fell, his expression becoming worried, but still hopeful, smiling gently at Bofur and Bifur as he told them just what happened," Sam's in the infirmary wit' Oin. She's in a bad way an' badly needed medical attention when we foun' 'er in an orc camp, taken prisoner. I raced back 'ere with 'er as quick as I could ta' get our Sam wha' she needed. Dwalin's still in the orc camp lookin' for information an' the rest o' our lass's weapons, an' whether there are any mo' o' those little bastards tha' need killin'."

Bofur and Bifur were now wide eyed and a little pale, horrified by the news that Sam had been in the hands of orcs, and that she was badly injured, the fear of losing her again plain in their eyes as they looked at one another before their gazes returned to Nori, who smiled at them slightly as he reiterated what Oin had said to him, hoping it would prove true," Don' worry, our lass is a ridiculously stubborn one, so she won' give up easily, an she's in goo' hands, Oin'll take righ' good care o' 'er, you know 'e will."

Bofur and Bifur could only nod at that, knowing it was true, comforted by the thought that Sam would not give in, and that Oin wouldn't let her.

"Now," Bofur and Bifur were drawn out of their thoughts as Nori continued speaking, that fox grin and twinkle in his eyes back in full swing," let's go an' tell some o' the others the good news."

That had Bofur and Bifur grinning.

So they agreed they would split up, Bofur and Bifur going to get Bombur from the kitchens, while Nori would go and get Dori from his little shop.

Not more than fifteen minutes after Bofur and and Bifur had ascended from the mine shaft, they and Nori were running through Erebor to tell other members of their family the good news.

/And I See Fire, Hollowing Souls!/

When Bifur and Bofur had arrived in the kitchens, in the middle of the day, Bombur had been confused, because they were usually down in the mines from about mid-morning to mid-afternoon, and they were not ones to shirk their work.

But, as Bombur took in the happy looks on his brother and cousin's faces, he knew something wonderful had happened.

Bofur and Bifur, lacking Nori's flare for the dramatic, told Bombur everything in a rush of words in Kuhzdul, Iglishmek, and Common Tongue. It took the round cook a few moments to decipher and comprehend what his family had just told him, but, as a look of realization spread across his face, he smiled a wide and beaming smile, his cheeks rosy and dimples clearly visible as he glomped Bofur and Bifur the way they had Nori, another round of whooping and joyous laughter ensuing.

The kitchen staff just stared at the Broadbeams as Bombur put his second in command in charge for the rest of the day and ran out of the kitchens faster than he had moved since Beorn's with his cousin and brother, all running toward the infirmary and their lass.

Dori's reaction was a little different from Bombur's, but no less happy.

The eldest son of Fitoria had been surprised to see his brother back so soon, but Nori's grin and the way he couldn't keep still had only confused the Guild Master, as he could not remember that last time he had seen Nori act like that.

But Dori, being Nori's older brother and the mother hen he was, immediately noticed that his brother was carrying a sword not his own, and, thinking his brother might be up to something, questioned him about it.

Nori had only smiled as Dori had gaped like a fish at the familiar blade.

One look in Nori's eyes told Dori all that he needed to know, and he immediately started kicking all of his customers, who were rather irate at the treatment but Dori didn't care, out of his shop and locking up, with Nori's help, and soon the two eldest of the brothers Ri were racing toward the infirmary, meeting up with the Broadbeams just outside of the doors, all of them giddy and happy, but knowing they would need to settle in for a long wait.

/I See Fire, Blood in the Breeze!/

I hope y'all enjoyed that.

Next time we will see Dwalin and everyone else, and learn just what it was that Sam told Nori.

Reviews are always appreciated! Adios!


	3. Chapter 3

Standard disclaimers apply!

Enjoy!

/And I Hope that You'll Remember Me/

Dwalin arrived at Erebor a few hours after Nori, appointing a guard to look after his fellows on their journey back to the mountain, the Captain of the Guard unwilling to wait any longer to return to the Lonely Mountain and check on their lass.

But, before heading to the infirmary, Dwalin had popped into Thorin's office and deposited the rest of Sam's weapons, aside from the sword the Nori had with him, as he had found no trace of a pack in the orc camp, into her old pack from their quest to reclaim the mountain.

The Company had requested that Sam's things be returned to them from Thranduil, so they would have something to remember her bye, none of them wanting to forget their lass, which was how Bofur had managed to get his hands on the deformed dog toy that Sam had made.

Thorin kept the pack in his office so he never forgot Sam, the sacrifices she had made to help them reclaim their home, sacrifices she had made despite the fact that she owed them nothing, done solely out of the kindness of her heart, so he never forgot what had been lost on the battle field, or the mistakes he had made, the wrongs he had done Sam, using it to remind himself that he was not infallible or anywhere near perfect. Thorin kept Sam's pack because it reminded him he needed the help and support of his friends and family to be a truly good king, because he needed to be reminded of what actually mattered in life in those moments when he gets too wrapped up in politics and everything, so he never made the same mistakes he made with Sam again.

Dwalin had then headed over to the infirmary, finding many of his family loitering about in the hall, everyone simultaneously giddy and worried, talking to each other, pacing, or trying to keep themselves busy, the floor covered in wood shavings as Bofur and Bifur carved various toys. He wasn't exactly happy to hear from them that Oin had not come out to update them on how Sam was doing, even after a few hours, but, knowing how badly injured she had been, the warrior could not say he was entirely surprised, especially knowing how focused on his task Oin would likely be with Sam in his care.

Nori told Dwalin about what Oin had said when he had left Sam with him, and told him the reactions of Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and Dori to the news that Sam was alive, bringing a smile to Dwalin's face, pleasing his lover, as they were both highly amused by the mental image of them all acting like little dwarrowlings and being stared at like they were all completely bonkers by everyone in the vicinity. Nori and Dwalin had both dearly missed seeing everyone actually happy, both thanking Mahal for leading them to Sam, as neither wanted to know what the rest of their lives would have been like without her, assuming she chose to stay in Erebor when she woke.

Dwalin then decided, convinced that Nori and the others were alright and that he likely wouldn't miss any updates on Sam's condition, that he would go and wait outside the counsel chambers that Thorin, Fili, Kili, Balin, Gloin, and Ori would be in so he could tell them that Sam was alive as soon as their meeting was done, because, as important as telling them all of the miracle that had occurred was, he could not simply interrupt a meeting, as it could jeopardize the agreements being made.

The reason they were all in the chambers was because Thorin was making trade agreements with the leaders of different dwarven settlements and human farmers in order to, respectively, get more workers to help with the restoration of Erebor and have more food available for the growing population of the city in the future, especially considering the land around Erebor was still barren because of Smaug and his fire.

Thorin and Balin were the principal negotiators while Fili and Kili were present for the sake of learning such important skills, as they were the Princes of Erebor, and providing their own insight into the negotiations, something that came in handy given their different perspectives on things, and they could use their youth to their advantage. The dynamic duo could ask for the reasoning for a particular decision or demand to be explained for educational purposes and, not wanting to be rude to the princes, people would often oblige, which occasionally allowed them to catch someone in a lie and get a better, for Erebor anyway, trade agreement out of it.

Ori was present because, as the Royal Scribe, he was responsible for keeping track of everything that was said during the meeting, writing copious amounts of notes, for keeping track of, helping write, and producing legible copies of all written agreements, and providing accurate information about what had been previously said. Ori was also responsible for providing his own opinions and insights about the negotiations, as Ori, having the entire conversation at his fingertips, would often notice things that needed to be discussed or able to see purposeful omissions in the language of the other party, and Thorin valued his opinion anyway because he was very perceptive, he had been Balin's student after all. Ori usually communicated anything he wanted to add to the negotiations through notes to either Balin, Fili, Kili, or Thorin, though more often Balin or Fili because Kili had developed the habit as coming off as a little rude and Thorin's grumpiness made him do the same, but, regardless of whoever it was who got the note, they would bring up the issue for him as, in most places, scribes are expected to keep their opinions to themselves as they were not considered to be part of the negotiations, only tools for the meeting, something that Thorin disliked, but, to avoid offending anyone, he had Ori contribute surreptitiously, because he was unwilling to completely ignore him and anything he had to say.

Gloin was attending the meeting because, as the Royal Banker, he was responsible for keeping track of anything money related, such as payments for services rendered, interest on loans, and and the monetary value of any goods or services, knowledge that was put to good use in negotiations with any kind of merchant or farmer, because he would instantly know whether or not something was a good or bad deal. Gloin kept his own notes of any and all expenses or profits of any and all trade agreements made, always knowing how much money was going into and out of the treasury at any one time, as well as how long it would take to count out any particular amount, so Gloin was providing all money related information to the negotiations, which usually made him unpopular with the other party, but he was not about to let them scam Erebor.

So Dwalin found himself leaning against one of the columns to the side of the counsel chambers, trying to keep himself from trying to figure out how Sam got all of her new scars, trying to desperately keep himself from worrying too much lest he drive himself nuts, by humming songs Sam had sung for the Company and taking care of his weapons, which looked a little odd, as someone sharpening their axes right outside the chambers the King and his heirs were in would usually be rather suspicious, or threatening, but no one questioned him, Dwalin was the Captain of the Guard after all.

It was some hours before the meeting finally ended, the opening of the doors bringing Dwalin out of the meditative state he had fallen into, watching the foreign dwarves and humans leave. Dwalin could hear his brother and the others talking inside the room, patiently waiting for them to exit, a grin spreading across his face as the moments until he got to tell them that Sam was alive lessened.

Dwalin heard a frustrated sigh from Balin as they all filed out of the chambers, the older dwarf rubbing his hand across his face, no doubt tired from the hours of negotiations. Thorin, Fili, Kili, Ori, and Gloin looked just as tired, and terribly bored, the princes stretching, Ori carrying several bound stacks of notes, rubbing at his eyes and cracking his knuckles, as was Gloin, Thorin just scowling at the world in general.

It was Balin that noticed a gently smiling Dwalin standing to the right of the doorway first, the elder son of Fundin cocking an eyebrow at his nadadith, knowing full well that he was not supposed to be back in the city until the next day at the earliest.

"Dwalin, what are you doing back so soon?"

That had everyone else turning to look at Dwalin, the two short handled war axes that Ori now wore on his belt at either hip, the very ones he had used in the Battle of the Five Armies, clinking as he turned. All of them were glad to see Dwalin home and unharmed from the orc hunt, though they were all perplexed as to why he was smiling, because he hadn't smiled like that in a long time, the light in his eyes just making them more curious.

Thorin, at the moment more than willing to believe that Dwalin's happy look was Nori's doing, in which case he did not need to know, was more concerned by his quick return that anything else, and voiced it," Yes, what indeed brought you back so soon? Could you not find any trace of the orcs, or were they closer to Erebor than we thought?"

Thorin hoped the reason that Dwalin was back so soon was because the orcs had made tracking them easy and they had been killed more quickly than anticipated, because he really didn't think he had the patience to deal with any mishaps today without blowing up at someone, especially considering the day before had been the anniversary of Sam's death. The hours of negotiations, as productive as they had been, were draining, as evidenced by the contentment of the three youngest members of the Company and Gloin to just standby, slouching and leaning on each other as they yawned, and listen instead of contributing to the conversation, all talked out for the day, though Thorin wasn't entirely sure how it was possible for his nephews to be talked out, but they hadn't exactly been acting like their old selves for a while now, so maybe it was a change he would need to get used to, as awful of a thought as that was to him.

But Dwalin, thankfully, drawing a relieved sigh from Balin and Thorin both, only shook his head, saying," No, we foun' the orcs easily enough, further from our borders than we 'ad initially thought, bu' tha's na' why me an' Nori are back so soon, tha's because o' wha' we foun' in the camp."

That made everyone perk up and pay attention, wary, thinking that the orcs had a prisoner that had needed to be brought back for medical treatment, but, as they all saw Dwalin only smile wider, Gloin, Thorin and Balin looking at each other as Fili, Kili and Ori did the same, all with confused expressions on their faces.

None of them knew what to think, because what could Dwalin have possibly found, in an orc camp of all places, that would make him smile like that?

The three youngsters could not help but think that the long months of hard, draining work and grief had finally made Dwalin lose his marbles, the only thing keeping them from actually believing that was the knowing look in his eyes, all of them picking up on the fact that Dwalin wasn't telling them something important.

After a few moments of Dwalin just smiling at them, Balin and Thorin noting that Nori was rubbing off on him because of the dramatic pause, Kili finally voiced what all of them were wondering, his new found short temperedness making an appearance, arms crossed and a slight scowl on his face," Alright, Dwalin, just what was it that you found in the orc camp that's making you smile so much?"

Dwalin only smiled more as his eyes twinkled a bit, finally clueing them all in," We foun' 'er alive, bu' injured, in the camp. She's wit' Oin now an' the others are already waitin' outside for news."

They all stared at Dwalin blankly for a few moments, the slightly cryptic answer just confirming that Nori was, indeed, rubbing off on him.

Then, with a collective gasp and wide eyes, smiles beginning to spread across their faces, Fili, Kili, and Ori sprinted in the direction of the infirmary, laughing as they ran, whooping in joy, because they, being young and hopeful, had connected the dots that their elders obviously hadn't because they didn't think it was possible.

Dwalin and Nori had come back to Erebor so soon because of a woman.

Dwalin and Nori had not come back with their men and had traveled a great distance in a short amount of time because the woman was important to them.

Oin was treating her without having sent word Nori and Dwalin were back.

The rest of the Company was waiting outside of the infirmary waiting for news.

Dwalin was smiling and happy, a light in his eyes the likes of which they had not seen in a year.

Sam was alive, that was the only logical conclusion they could come to, the fact that Dwalin only smiled wider as they ran off only making them more sure that they were right, that their lass really was alive.

Kili was soon out of sight with Fili and Ori not far behind, the thought that Sam, his One, even if she didn't know it yet, was alive making him happier than he had been in a long time.

Balin, Thorin, and Gloin all stared after the trio for a few moments before turning as one to regard Dwalin with quizzical looks, expecting him to elaborate, as they had all obviously missed something that Fili, Kili, and Ori hadn't.

Dwalin just shook his head and chuckled at the three of them, annoying the already short tempered dwarves, Thorin about to unleash his frustration on his friend, but, then, Dwalin spoke," Sam's alive. She's the one we foun'."

The three older dwarves just stared at Dwalin for a few moments, their mouths hanging open, eyes wide, realization slowly dawning on their faces, and then they were off.

Dwalin, cackling like the nutty dwarf he was, raced after his friends and brother, easily catching up to Balin as Thorin ran ahead of them, Gloin not far behind their king.

The dwarves of Erebor were treated to quite the spectacle that evening, first the Princes and Royal Scribe go barreling through the crowds, across walkways, and down stairs, trying to get to the infirmary as fast as they could, only for the King to be fast on their heels, as unconcerned with running into people and being proper as the three youngsters were. The people were even more surprised when the Captain of the Guard, laughing of all things, the Royal Advisor, and the Royal Banker did exactly the same thing, though a little more slowly, and Balin did apologize a few times, but he was far more concerned with getting to the infirmary and seeing Sam than he was anything else.

/And if the Night is Burning, I Will Cover My Eyes/

Fili, Kili, and Ori soon barreled into the area right outside of the doors to the infirmary, bringing smiles to the faces of the Company already there, glad to see the three so happy, but their smiles were over shadowed by their steadily growing concern for Sam, as it had now been several hours since Nori had left Sam with Oin, and they still had not heard anything about how their lass was doing.

Thorin came to a skidding halt right behind his nephews, nearly falling on them, only for Gloin and Balin to stop, puffing, right behind him with a barely winded Dwalin in tow.

Dwalin's smile died as he saw the look on Nori's face, instantly knowing that they had heard nothing from Oin, and that was not encouraging.

"Well? How is she?"

Kili was looking around at his family, huffing a bit, his face slightly red and hair more of a mess than usual, but his eyes were bright, bright like they hadn't been in far too long, Fili and Ori the same way as the glanced around, but not seeing the happiness in the faces around them that they had expected, the trio's faces falling a bit.

It hurt Bofur to answer Kili's question, because he knew that the youngster's eyes would dim again and their faces would only fall more once they heard about the lack of news," We don' know, Kili, Oin hasn' come ou' ta tell us anthin', so we jus' don' know."

Fili, Kili, and Ori's shoulders dropped, worry now setting in, not having realized just how injured Sam was. Dori pulled Ori over to him, the brothers Ri standing together next to the Broadbeams, all looking dejected as Nori put a hand on his little brother's shoulder, as Fili and Kili went to lean against a wall. Kili promptly smacked the wall with his fist in frustration, prompting Fili to pull his brother into a one armed hug and keep him there, not wanting Kili to hurt himself, and they both needed the contact at the moment.

Thorin just gave a heavy sigh, rubbing a hand across his face, his own shoulders drooping now that reality was setting in, something he had been ignoring in his mad dash to the infirmary after his nephews, so he simply settled next to them on the wall, dreading the wait that would ensue, and the bad news that might come.

Gloin closed his eyes for a moment before settling near the door, looking at it worriedly, hoping his brother would walk through soon.

Balin stood there for a moment, his hands on his knees, head bowed, and eyes closed with Dwalin standing next to him, a hand on his shoulder. After a few moments Balin heaved a weary sigh and stood up straight, patting his brother's hand as he went to stand next to Fili, looking older than he had just minutes ago, while Dwalin just gave his older brother's shoulder a final squeeze before standing next to Nori, their hands immediately finding one another.

The Company had just settled in for a long wait, when Dis, Midala, and Gimli showed up.

/For if the Dark Returns, then My Brothers Will Die!/

Dis and Midala, both holding their heavy, thick skirts high so they wouldn't trip as they ran, were being led by young Gimli, the little fire haired rascal, weaving in and out of dwarves as they ran in the direction they had seen many of the Company, mainly those who they knew had just got out of negotiations, run, intent on finding out what was going, especially why Dwalin was laughing like a crazy old wizard, and why he was back so early.

The trio came to a stop just outside the doors of the city infirmary, where they found the King's Company, and the King himself, loitering about looking worried, though it was beyond them why.

Everyone looked up from what they were staring at, or carving in Bifur and Bofur's cases, at the arrival of the Princess of Erebor and Gloin's family, looking a little puzzled by their sudden appearance, even as Gimli looked at them all expectantly, especially his father, for news of just what was going on.

But, before anyone could say anything, Oin opened the doors of the infirmary and came out.

/And as the Sky is Falling Down/

Oin looked exhausted, his entire frame drooping, his eyes revealing how emotionally drained he was, how much taking care of the badly injured Sam had affected him.

But what really distressed the Company was the fact that Oin was wearing an apron covered in blood and, knowing it was Sam's blood, in made all of their stomachs turn, most becoming markedly paler at the sight, Kili almost going white as a sheet.

Midala and Dis were slightly less disturbed by the sight of the bloody apron, having no idea to whom the blood belonged, but it made Gimli noticeably paler, so Midala hissed at her brother-in-law to take the damn thing off, which he did, after jumping a few inches off the floor in surprise at hearing her voice, swiftly taking it off and tossing it back into the infirmary before shutting the door again and leaning against it.

Oin heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand over his face before speaking," Sam will live," everyone in the Company heaved a sigh as Dis, Midala, and Gimli perked up, knowing the name, but not the person, surprised to hear the woman who had so changed their loved ones was alive," but she will have a long road to recovery, in more ways than one. Sam has had to endure more than one kind of torture at the hands of the orcs," everyone but Gimli stiffened, going paler and wide eyed, the young one not quite understanding what his uncle was referring to, as he was being intentionally vague for his sake, the Company barely able to keep themselves from cursing up a storm in Gimli's presence, though several of them, Dwalin, Kili, Bifur, Nori, Fili and Thorin, did punch the walls in anger and frustration, guilt clear in the eyes of every member of the Company," and it has left it's marks upon her body, and no doubt upon her mind, but...this was not the first time that our lass has been tortured by orcs. She is covered with scars that speak to all that she has gone through, all they did to her, she even has a brand upon her hip. But those are not all, her wounds from this round of torture are many, and severe. She needed more stitches than I cared to count," everyone flinched," with a multitude of abrasions and bruises. She has lost a considerable amount of blood, but not enough to kill her, though she is very, very weak. Her capture by the orcs must have been very recent, within the last few days, because her wounds, while infected, were not so much that they are beyond treatment," Oin sighed, a grateful look upon his face," Sam will need constant care for the next few weeks as she will need constant bandage changes, as well as medicines to be applied, and given. She will be fighting off the infections and regaining her strength, but the medicine has already begun to work at lowering her fever and she is in a deep sleep. Sam should wake sometime in the next three weeks, but...," Oin shook his head as everyone stood around him, listening intently as he continued," Sam has gone though much since last we saw her, and I fear she will not be the woman we once knew."

The Company, Dis, Midala, and Gimli looked very worried and dejected by Oin's interpretation of the situation, though they did hope, that, given time, Sam would be alright, but Nori found he couldn't agree with Oin, as the girl he had talked to on the pony ride to Erebor, while changed, was definitely their Sam, even if she had probably changed more than he could see at the time, that was definitely their Sam.

And Nori, being Nori, couldn't help but voice his opinion," She didn' soun' like she ha' changed," everyone's heads suddenly turned toward, Nori, their eyes wide and shocked," too much when I talked ta' her on the way 'ere-"

"She talked to ya?"

"What did she say?"

"Was she lucid?"

"Did she say why or where she's been gone all this time?"

"How did Sam seem?"

"Quiet! Everyone stop talking!"

Everyone's mouths clicked shut and they backed away from Nori, who they had all crowded in their excitement, at Oin's roar, at which point he stomped up to the surprised looking Nori, poked him in the chest with a finger, and said," Why didn't you tell me she had woken up? That she had spoken to you? Knowing she had woken up recently would have made me worry far less," Oin smacked Nori upside the head, the Spymaster having the grace to look sheepish," and means she is in better shape than I had originally thought physically, because it means the infections were not as bad as I had feared and she will likely wake up sooner," everyone brightened at that news," and the fact that you say she didn't seem too different means she might be in better emotional shape than I thought. Maybe the person who stitched up her wounds the last time took better care of her than I had originally been willing to assume," Oin took on a somewhat relieved expression," It also gives me hope that, given her willingness to speak with you," Nori nodded, his eyes softening as he recalled the ways Sam had looked so happy to see him, in spite of everything," she will forgive us."

Nori patted Oin on the shoulder as he smiled at his friends for a moment, who had all taken on guilty and slightly depressed expressions at the reminder that Sam had every right to be mad at them, Nori looking around at them all as he said," Sam was 'appy ta see me...I think she missed us, in spite of everythin'...an' she didn't seem ta be annoyed wit' me or anythin', so I don't think she's mad at us, bu'...I guess we won' know until she wakes up, which I 'ope will be soon."

The Company looked relieved at this news, smiling at each other, nodding in agreement with Nori's statement, some of their previous giddiness returning, glad that their lass was not angry with them, glad that she would probably wake soon, that she would probably be as glad to see them as they were to see her, ever grateful for her forgiving nature.

Kili's eyes brightened considerably at this news, as he wouldn't have been able to bear Sam being mad at them after a year of believing she was dead, it would have hurt too much, especially in light of who she was to him.

Dwalin moved to stand beside his love, an arm slung around Nori's shoulders while Nori put an arm around his waist, both smiling softly at each other before returning their gazes to their king.

Dwalin was immeasurably glad that Nori had spoken to Sam, that their lass was better than Oin had initially thought, that things were looking better and better by the moment, both hoping that things would continue to go that way.

Thorin, stepping up to the warrior and former thief, asked Nori," Did she say where she's been? Or what happened to her? Anything?"

Nori looked at his king, the happiness at hearing Sam would wake sooner and be alright becoming overshadowed as he became serious, the determined and calculating look they all knew so well back in his eyes, remembering the threat Sam had described, speaking," I know she was in Rhun for a while-"

"Rhun?! Aha! So she was there! Bifur, we should'a guessed she was alive sooner! We should'a known!"

Everyone was now staring at the frustrated Bofur, who had hopped in the air in realization when Nori had spoken, and an annoyed looking Bifur, wondering what in the world he was talking about.

"Bofur, what're you talking about?"

Kili had his head cocked along with an eyebrow as he looked at his friends, an expectant look on his face.

Bofur sighed, looking rather sheepish, as Bifur just crossed his arms, annoyed at them both," Some o' the little ones tha' came wi' the mos' recent caravan from Rhun already knew Sam's stories," everyone looked a little surprised at that, but it also led them to the conclusion that Sam had been in Rhun for some time before she came back to Erebor," an'...at the time we jus' thought it was coincidence, 'cause we thought Sam was dead, I mean, I hoped tha' Sam was alive, bu' we jus' didn't see 'ow it was possible," Bofur rubbed a hand down his face, looking tired," We should'a known."

Nori and Thorin looked at each other then back at the two elder Broadbeams with expressions that were a little exasperated, because Bofur and Bifur couldn't have known and the duo knew that, but they still thought they should have figured it out. Nori and Thorin's expressions were entirely fond though, as it was just like the Bifur and Bofur to be annoyed that they had failed to help a friend because they had missed something, when even Nori hadn't noticed either, and he was the Spymaster.

Everyone was shaking their heads at the two, knowing that Bofur and Bifur had only believed what anyone with minimal evidence to the contrary would have, what they had all believed, not even daring to hope they were wrong, unwilling to hope and then live with the disappointment.

Nori began to speak again," You couldn' 'ave known Bof', so don' bea' yourself up o'er it," Bofur nodded at Nori before he turned back to Thorin," Now, Sam said she was in Rhun, bu' she doesn' bring good news from the South," Nori's eyes hardened, putting everyone, especially Dwalin and Thorin, on edge, because they knew what that look meant," some assassins are comin' in the nex' big caravan from Rhun," that grabbed everyone's attention, their eyes hardening as the Company took on calculating looks, veterans that they all were now, even as Dis, Midala, and Gimli just looked alarmed," she lef' a frien' o' hers ta keep track o' the buggers an' keep 'em from causin' more mischief, bu' she was on her way here to warn us, so we coul' deal with 'em swiftly when they got here...," Nori's face fell a little, some of the sorrow that had been in his eyes for the past year returning as he said," I think Sam still thought she was banished, an' tha' was why she stayed away for all this time, bu' she was still comin' ta warn us, regardless o' wha' she thought migh' happen ta 'er if she returned."

"Loyalty even in banishment," everyone turned to Dis as she turned to address her brother, all she had just learned about the lass that had so affected her family whirling in her mind, having a hard time believing that this young woman was still so loyal to those who had done her wrong," What did you do to deserve such from her, brother?"

Thorin simply looked at his sister, guilt in his eyes as he thought of all that he had done that should have lost him Sam's loyalty, but apparently hadn't," I don't know, I just don't know."

/It Crashed into this Lonely Town!/

Sorry that took longer than usual, Easter put a bit of a wrench in the works, but I hope you all enjoyed that.


	4. Chapter 4

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Enjoy!

/And With That Shadow Upon the Ground/

Sam did not awaken in a few weeks.

The Company took turns sitting at her bedside, in rooms in the Royal Wing that Thorin designated as Sam's for as long as she lived within the Mountain, watching over her for two months.

Her wounds were healing, her infections going away, Sam was getting better physically, albeit slower than Oin had thought she would, but the healer still could not figure out why Sam had not woken, unable to understand how she could have woken and talked to Nori, in the horrible shape that she was in, before she was left in his care, but did not do so when she was safely within the walls of Erebor, warm, fed, and all of her needs seen to.

Oin just could not find a reason for Sam to remain lost to them.

And it worried them all greatly, making them lose hope that they would ever get to talk to their lass again, get to see her smile again, all of their eyes longing to see her jade eyes open once more, to hear her laugh and talk to them again. They feared that Sam would die in the mountain, wasting away in her sickbed, because, as time went by, Sam was getting thinner and thinner, thinner than she had already been, because all they could feed her was broth, and Sam became more pale as the weeks passed, despite the healing of her wounds.

Something more was wrong with Sam, but they didn't know what.

The weeks went by as the Company was forced to watch Sam writhe and cry in the throws of her nightmares, her fevered sleeps, talking to her, singing to her, stroking her hair, anything they could think of to soothe her, sometimes to no avail, other times she would calm and sleep more peacefully, but never truly.

But the times that hurt them the most were those instances when her eyes would open, clouded in sleep, and she would call for the members of the Company, ask them not to leave her. She would be crying and calling so pitifully, her arms reaching out for her friends, but she could not see that they were right beside her. They had surmised that these fears and nightmares were born of the year Sam had spent away from them, and their hearts ached as they realized that Sam had missed them as much as they had missed her, but no matter how many times they took Sam's hands in their own, putting them on their faces, their heads, over their hearts, or just held them between their own hands, she never realized they were there, watching over, so she would simply continue to cry out for them until she fell into a deeper sleep, but, always, tears would be dripping down her face.

The days the Company were at their darkest were when Sam would beg Thorin," Please, Thorin, please no, please Thorin, please, please don't, Thorin, please." and they would all be haunted by their vague memories of the battlements, augmented by what Fili, Kili, and Ori told them later, of Thorin with his sword at her throat, of blood running down her the column of her neck from the wound he inflicted, the fear in her eyes as she was betrayed by someone she cared for, she still cared for. It was those days that the scar on her neck, the one Thorin had given her, showed most prominently, that those who were watching over her would apologize to her over and over again, would beg her forgiveness, though they knew she could not hear them, lost to them as she remained.

After the first time Sam begged Thorin in her nightmares, the King stayed away, visiting her only fleetingly and sparingly, unwilling to cause Sam undue distress, afraid that his presence would somehow slow her recovery, though she did not recoil from his voice, but he did not dare touch her after having heard her beg him, he didn't think he should, as if she would recoil from his touch and damage her health further with it. Thorin believed that Sam was now terrified of him, more so than she had been on at the entrance to Erebor, and it broke his heart, for he had never wanted to hurt her, to instill fear into the kind hearted lass, it broke his heart even more because Sam had come all the way from Rhun to keep he and his family from assassination, to keep them all safe.

Thorin thought Sam was scared of him, but dared to hope, given time, she could trust him again.

Fili and Kili were as distressed as their uncle, although for different reasons, when Sam would beg them," No, please, please! Fi, Ki, don't go, please don't go! Please don't go where I can't follow! Please don't leave me!" Unlike when Sam spoke to Thorin, it was obvious that, in her dreams, Sam was watching them die, and she was begging them not to. The brothers, nor anyone else, knew why Sam dreamt such things, but it distressed them all that they could offer her no comfort, that they could not show her that they were alive and well, and that they needed her to come back to them.

No one could have known that what haunted Sam in her sleep was the very dream that had haunted her nightmares on their quest, made worse by a recurring nightmare of failing to save her dear royals, of watching them die over and over and over again. They heard her beg them not to die, but they never heard the way Sam begged their forgiveness for failing them in her dreams.

/I Hear My People Screaming Out/

The Company was not faring well, just sitting at Sam's bedside and watching her waste away. They had all become more pale, gaunt, and tired, spending all of their time either working or watching over her, taking no time for themselves, and it showed.

Dis and Midala made sure they rested and ate when they needed it, but it distressed them that the lass's return had made them all so happy, only for them all to once more become the depressed dwarves they had been over the past year, exacerbated by actually having to watch Sam waste away. The only thing keeping them going, keeping them all going, was the hope they still saw in the eyes of the Company, the hope that Sam would waken. Dis and Midala, no matter how much they worried for their loved ones, were not willing to destroy that hope, to keep any of them away from the slowly deteriorating lass for their own sakes, because they really did hope Sam would live, and all would be well again.

The Broadbeams, however, were taking it the worst.

Watching Sam just lie in a bed for weeks brought back Bofur and Bombur's memories of the months they had spent at Bifur's bedside, hoping and praying that he would wake, that they would get their loved one back, whole and hale, but it was harder on them this time, because they didn't know why Sam had not yet woken, whereas with Bifur it had been rather obvious. As a result, Bombur and Bofur lost a lot of weight in those two months of watching over Sam, it obvious to anyone that they were far from happy.

Bofur had taken to drinking more than he normally would, making it necessary on a few occasions for Bifur, Dwalin, Dori, and Nori to haul him out of a tavern, three sheets to the wind, always admonishing him when he woke that Sam would not want him to do that to himself, or to any of them, but that didn't stop the normally merry dwarf, because, as much as he loved his family, he couldn't help it, he needed some kind of relief from the worry gnawing at his soul.

Bombur had become unusually quiet, no longer humming and singing while he cooked, often found just staring into space with a partially cut vegetable sitting on the cutting board in front of him. But what really worried the Company was the fact that Bombur was not eating half as much as he used to, his worry destroying his appetite, and even Bofur could not get him to eat more, even as Bombur couldn't convince his brother to drink less.

Bifur was taking watching Sam lie in bed a different way than his cousins, for he now truly understood what they must have gone through when he was in a like state, and he found it unbearable, all the more grateful for his cousins having been strong enough to do so for him, but he couldn't stand watching their vivacious lass just lie in bed, withering to nothing, but he also couldn't stop staying by her side. So Bifur sat by her side as often as he could, when he wasn't trying to keep his cousins from falling apart, because it tore at his heart watching the two kindly dwarves he had helped raise act so unlike themselves. Bifur took his time with Sam to carve more toys, but, more often than not, a member of the Company would find him staring off into space, unaware of the world around him, lost to them all until he regained himself, and it scared them all that he was being lost to them longer and longer each time he stared off into space, but nothing could be done for it.

So someone always sat with Bifur, watching over he and Sam, wondering, hoping, that the day would come they both would be well, and they could all be together again.

Little did they know that day was closer than they thought.

/And I See Fire! Inside the Mountains!/

"An orc?! An orc has come to the front gate?!"

Dwalin and Nori nodded at Thorin as they stood in front of his desk in his office, the king staring at them incredulously from his seat, most of the desk covered in paperwork that he had been doing before they came in, a quill still in his hand as he continued to just look at his friends.

"And it's claiming what?"

"It's claimin' tha' it's a friend o' Sam's, says it 'as proof."

Dwalin couldn't quite believe what he was saying any more than Thorin seemed to, but that was what the orc, who had come to their gates, dropped his pack, put up his hands, and immediately surrendered had said. The creature had then requested, after being satisfactorily tied up according to Nori's standards, surprisingly not resisting at all, to speak to Sam, but Nori and Dwalin had simply ordered a contingent of guards to keep watch over the beast as they discussed, between themselves, what they were going to do, as this was a rather unprecedented event, because they were obviously not about to let it get anywhere near their lass, not after all she had been through because of orcs.

Nori thought it might be wise to interrogate the beast, to see how it knew who Sam was and what else it might know, and Dwalin had agreed, but they both knew Thorin would want to be privy to the interrogation of the beast, it's knowledge of Sam likely making it a priority of Thorin's given that he felt he was responsible for all that had happened to her while she was gone, which was why they were now in his office, being stared at by their king.

Said king, after a few more moments of staring, took on a thunderous expression, got up out of his chair, and stomped off out of his office, Nori and Dwalin following closely as Thorin began walking through the various hallways, walkways, staircases, and corridors of Erebor, neither at all surprised by how angry Thorin was that an orc would dare to claim their Sam as a friend, and they were even less surprised when he growled, his utter hate of orcs showing through," Let's go see what the wretch has to say."

So the King, the Spymaster, and the Captain of the Guard went to the guard house just to the left of the front gates of Erebor where the orc was being kept, his arms bound behind his back, legs tied together at the ankles, and a bag over his head with ten guards watching him, making sure that he couldn't escape and harm anyone, though they were tempted to just let him go and kill the creature, because they had been given a kill on sight order if he got away.

Thorin's first impression of the orc was that he was filthy, but oddly dressed considering what he was. The orc was covered in mud and dirt and grime, his clothes and skin caked with it, leaving the dwarves unable to figure out what color anything had originally been, but the fact that this orc was wearing traveling clothes similar to what elves, men, and dwarves wore was odd, odder still was the fact that he was wearing boots that looked to have been specifically made for his clawed feet. Thorin could not tell what color the creature's skin was, it was so dirty, but he did notice that his nails appeared to be dulled and that he was quite skinny, though this did not surprise Thorin, as the orc kneeling before him on the ground, a hand on the back of his head forcing him to double over, seemed to be of a more lithe variety of orc.

Beside the orc was an emptied pack with all of it's contents strewn about, but Thorin, Dwalin, and Nori had no idea why the contents of the orc's pack looked like what was in Oin's pack during their quest. Most of what was strewn about seemed to be salve and medicine containers, as well as dried plants and the tools necessary to make medicines, such as a mortar and pestle, but what surprised the three even more was the fact that the orc seemed to wield curved swords just like Sam did, and the swords laying beside what appeared to be the orc's supply of clean clothes did not look like they were made by an orc, but had been made for him to suit his size.

Dwalin, Thorin, and Nori looked at each other, an understanding passing between them to learn what the orc knew about their lass before disposing of him, though their curiosity was peaked by the apparent oddness of this particular orc, before Thorin waved a hand at the guard and the hood was removed.

The orc shook it's head once it was uncovered, blinking it's yellow eyes as they readjusted to the light in the guard house, Thorin, Dwalin and Nori now able to see it's long hair, which was tied in a knot at the back of it's head, was full of twigs and leaves, covered in mud, and it's skin looked to be a very dark shade of purple, as it's face seemed to be a little cleaner than the rest of it. The orc had a long, pointed nose, big pointy ears (that appeared to be able to swivel a bit), and a pointed chin. The orc's eyes widened as it took in the three obviously in charge dwarves staring down at him, glaring at him with their arms crossed across their chests, unconsciously taking on intimidating stances, shoulders and back straight, heads held high, hate and disdain in their eyes.

As a result of the posturing of the three dwarves the orc hunkered down on his spot on the floor in an effort to look smaller and less threatening, trying to communicate that he meant no harm.

"Who are you, orc, and how do you know Sam?"

The orc just looked up at them, eyes wide as he watched Thorin, Dwalin, and Nori carefully, obviously afraid, which greatly pleased the three dwarves, as they wanted the orc to fear them, to know he was not welcome in Erebor, because none of them believed for a second that he was actually Sam's friend.

The orc swallowed before speaking in a slightly nasally voice," My name is Burburghurz, King Thorin," the orc bowed slightly, all of the dwarves narrowing their eyes at him, wondering how the orc knew who Thorin was, and why in the world an orc was speaking so politely, with a good grasp of the Common Tongue no less," Masters Nori and Dwalin," Nori and Dwalin's eyes flicked toward each other as Thorin's eyes only narrowed more, the orc bowing to the Spymaster and Captain of the Guard as well," but Sam calls me Burb. Sam and I are friends and have been traveling together for almost a year. I assure you, sire, I am telling the truth, and Sam can attest to it, sir."

Burb's eyes flicked from dwarf to dwarf, searching for something, anything, sympathetic in their eyes, but found nothing pleasant, so, when it became obvious none of them were going to say anything, as they were all just continuing to watch him, making the poor orc terribly uncomfortable under their scrutiny, he continued," Where is Sam, your highness? Is she on her way?"

Burb recoiled from the even more vicious looks he got from the dwarves, their anger at his statement, no doubt thinking it was a blatant lie, clear on their faces, but Burb knew that if they were reacting in such a way that Sam was either not well, or she had not gotten the warm welcome she had hoped for from the dwarves. The dwarves Sam had described to him over the months they had known each other were very kind and good dwarves that were protective of their lass, just as he was, after everything they had gone through together, but, given that they had betrayed her, that the dwarven king standing before him had almost killed her at one point, Burb was not as willing as Sam was to believe they might have forgiven her after a year of banishment.

Thorin talked to Dwalin and Nori in Khuzdul to discuss what they would tell the orc, as he obviously knew who all of them were and who Sam was, but he had yet to provide proof that Sam was indeed his friend. Nori thought it would be best to see how he reacted to the fact that Sam was unable to come to his defense, to see if he was surprised by it, and how he might try to convince them he was telling the truth, which Thorin and Dwalin agreed with.

"Sam is not coming to see you, orc, she is currently...incapacitated and unable to do so."

The worry and regret in the eyes of the King only confirmed to Burb that Sam was injured, the orc glad to see that the dwarves did still care for her and were likely not responsible for her injuries, for the King would not have such emotions in his eyes if he did not hold Sam dear. Burb prayed that Sam had been able to tell them about the assassins before she became 'incapacitated' because he doubted they would believe him if he told them now, and he hoped she was alright, hoped that whatever had left her incapacitated was not anything serious, but something told him that was a futile hope, because Sam attracted trouble like dung attracted flies, and, though that thought almost made him smile, it mostly made him worry.

Thorin continued, noting the worry and trepidation, as well as some relief, in the eyes of the orc, the king ignoring the niggling in the back of his mind that the he was telling the truth, continuing to speak, Nori and Dwalin themselves not sure what to make of this development," But that is all I will tell you until you tell me how you know who we are, and provide actual proof that you are Sam's friend."

Nori went to lean against the wall as Thorin just kept glaring at the orc and Dwalin leaned on one of his axes, also continuing to glare at the orc, the Spymaster wanting to be able to observe the creature's reactions and emotions without being in his direct line of sight so that he did not try to school his expressions into ones that were appropriate for a concerned friend.

Burb, withering even more under Thorin's gaze, and the unspoken threat that Dwalin was making with his axe, collected himself and spoke, knowing that convincing this trio of dwarves that he was telling the truth, without Sam's help, might be the difference between living to see another day or dying, and, possibly, saving Sam from whatever ailed her, because something told him that she was going to need his help," I know who you are because Sam described you, the members of the Company, that is, so that I would know you when I saw you. She thought being able to name you all might be enough of a reason to give you pause before killing me so that you might listen to what else I had to say, give me a chance to at least try to convince you I am a friend of hers."

Nori found no lie in the eyes of the orc as he watched him, nodding at Thorin and Dwalin, who noted the movement out of the corners of their eyes, as they were unwilling to take their eyes off of the orc.

Burb continued after receiving a nod from Thorin," As for proof that I am Sam's friend," the dwarves looked at the orc expectantly," she gave me her elf friend pendant, the one she got from Lord Elrond. Sam hoped it would stay the hand of anyone who found me that knew her, or at least prompt them to ask me questions before killing me."

The guards started grumbling about the traitor, because it had gotten out, despite the best efforts of the Company, that Sam was alive, many of the civilians of Erebor unhappy about this revelation, especially now that they knew the traitor was an elf friend. It was another reason, in their minds, for Sam to be untrustworthy, but the guards all shut up when they saw the looks they were garnering from their king and superiors.

Nori, Dwalin, and Thorin just looked at the orc suspiciously, because having Sam's elf friend pendant, which they had been informed of the existence of by Thranduil and Bilbo, was not really any kind of proof that this orc was Sam's friend, as the pendant could easily have been stolen when she was kept prisoner by the orcs, or over the course of the year Sam had been gone.

Nori found, however, that the orc was telling the truth about having her pendant, as he could see it around his neck, now that he knew to look for it, but that lent the orc no credibility in Nori's eyes, as the thief knew that the best of lies were those based on a grain of truth.

Dwalin began to circle around the orc, nodding at his lover when he too saw the pendant around the orc's neck, knowing that the action would make the orc feel like prey being stalked by a predator, further intimidating him, further warning him of the fate that would befall him if he was lying to them, which Dwalin did not doubt he was.

Thorin moved to stand closer to Burb, looming over him as Dwalin circled like a shark and Nori kept watch of the entire exchange, some of the guards chuckling at how easily the beast was cowed by their king and captain, none of them giving Nori any mind, as they knew the Spymaster and his minions worked differently than they did, but were no less dangerous.

It instantly became obvious to Burb that the three dwarves were unconvinced, just as Sam had thought they would be with such weak proof, knowing that the dwarves were inherently suspicious, which was why she had given him more than that to prove who he was to her, even if he did not understand the significance of some of what she had told him, but it was worth a try.

"That is hardly what I would call proof, orc, you could easily have stolen it from her when she was unable to defend herself or unconscious," Burb looked up at the king with wide eyes as he continued to growl at him, reminding Burb of a very pissed off warg," if that is the only proof, if you can even call it that, that you have, orc, then you sealed your death warrant the moment you walked into Erebor."

Burb swallowed hard around the lump in his throat, his mouth having gone dry when Thorin, Dwalin, and Nori had come in, but he spoke, knowing he was running out of time, and patience on the part of the dwarves, to convince them he was telling them the truth," Sam gave me something else to prove that I am her friend, the result of tale she would only tell a friend, something that she would have no reason to tell an enemy and they would not care to know, but it is something that would have the most meaning to Master Oin. Would it be possible for him to come here?"

Dwalin was becoming increasingly tired of the pathetic orc and his useless talk, as nothing he had said proved anything to the Captain of the Guard, who was becoming more and more inclined to believe this was just an unusually clever orc that had done it's research on Sam and the dwarves of the Company with foul purposes in mind, it had already gotten him in the gates, who knew what else the creature had planned.

Thorin and Nori could see the growing frustration in Dwalin's eyes, knowing he did not trust the orc one bit, not with the utterly pointless nonsense that proved nothing it had been sputtering, and just wanted to be rid of him, but almost imperceptible shakes of the head from the two prompted Dwalin to take a deep breath and reel back in his temper, knowing that his king and his lover were better at information gathering that he was, even if he was no slouch in interrogations himself.

Thorin gave Dwalin a nod, however, when he asked, using Iglishmek, if he could manhandle the orc a bit, which made the large dwarf give a feral grin, drawing an eyebrow quirk from Thorin and an eye roll from Nori, as they both knew that Dwalin had no sympathy for orcs, especially not lately, and he did not want the orc to get any impression to the contrary.

Thorin and Nori had no problem with this because they were beginning to think this 'Burb' was just another lying piece of shit.

Dwalin then took hold of the orc's hair, wrenching his head backwards, and growled, fire in his eyes," We'll not be bringin' anyone 'ere ta' 'elp the likes o' you, orc, if'n you do actually 'ave any proof, it 'as ta' be shown ta' us, righ' now, or else ya' won' be gettin' another chance."

Thorin nodded slightly to Dwalin's statement, as it was entirely true, the orc would die if he did not provide proof, and, by the look in the creatures eyes, he knew that.

Nori observed a resigned look enter the orc's eyes as Dwalin roughly let his hair go, beginning to circle again, apparently accepting his fate, and Nori found himself wondering why this orc seemed so different from every other orc he had ever met, and why it was this particular orc that came calling and claimed Sam to be his friend.

Burb allowed his head to droop forward, sighing, before he lifted his head, some defiance and determination in his eyes, which threw the three Company members for a loop, all of them quirking their eyebrows and sending each other looks, not sure what to make of the look in the orc's eyes.

"Alright, I will do my best to prove to you I am not lying," Burb took a deep breath before continuing, nodding his head in the direction of the strewn about contents of his pack," Over there is container of a special salve that Sam made to give to Master Oin, one she had promised to either help him find the ingredients for or make with him at some point during your quest."

Dwalin and Thorin simply looked at the orc, waiting to see where this was going, but something about what the orc said clicked in Nori's mind, and he suddenly found himself interested in what the orc had to say, even as he was trying to remember what it was that sounded familiar.

Nori walked over to the strewn about containers of medicine, abandoning his spot against the wall in favor of finding out what this salve was.

Thorin and Dwalin were surprised by Nori actually going over to the medicine containers on the floor, but they knew better than to question Nori's methods, although they did want to know what he was thinking at the moment, because he had this expression on his face that told them that something the orc had said had rang a bell, but what he could the orc have possibly said to do that?

"Which one?"

Nori was pointing down at the many containers of medicine on the floor, looking at the orc with a raised eyebrow and a questioning, if guarded, expression.

Burb was just as surprised as the dwarves were that Nori had actually gone over to his things to figure out what salve he was talking about, and that he had actually spoken to him in a non-threatening way, that he was actually considering Burb's words, trusting him, in a way, to guide him to the right container, but he was not about to let this chance to prove he was telling the truth, to live, go.

Burb motioned his head toward a particular container as he said," That one on your left that is covered in green wax and twine."

Nori nodded at the orc, again surprising everyone in the room, Dwalin wondering what had gotten into his lover, and picked up the container.

It was a ceramic container, filled with salve, that had been sealed with a layer of wax over the length of twine that had been tied around it to keep the top on, and protect it from the elements.

Burb nodded at Nori to confirm he had picked up the right one, hope shining in his eyes.

Then Nori broke the wax seal on the container and opened it to look at the salve inside, sniffing it a bit, which made Dwalin grumble about not trusting orcs or anything they made because it might be poison, to which Nori only rolled his eyes. Nori looked at the salve, which looked to be a see through, slightly green colored gel that smelled of greenery. Nothing about it, not the look and not the smell, set off any warning bells in Nori's head, so it wasn't poison, and he knew his poisons, which made him wonder just what was so special about this salve.

"Wha' is the salve for?"

"Burns, Master Nori."

Nori nodded at the simple answer from the orc, continuing to examine the salve, still trying to figure out why this salve and what the orc had said had rang a bell, but not able to remember for the life of him.

So Nori asked another question," What's it made out of?"

Burb was looking at Nori with hope in his eyes now, praying that this dwarf recognized what he was talking about, able to see how Nori was trying to figure out something.

"Aloe vera."

Dwalin and Thorin just looked at each other and shrugged, having no idea what it was the orc was talking about, though it did sound vaguely familiar, but both became concerned when Nori went stalk still, staring down at the salve, the younger son of Fundin asking him what was wrong.

But Nori didn't hear his lover, busy remembering a memory of a night spent in Rivendell, when they had learned many things about their lass, when it had been decided she would stay with them, all because she had started describing a plant to Oin as she was treating all of their burns.

Aloe vera.

Nori turned, still with the container in his hands, and stared at the orc, Burb smiling at him with a mouth full of sharp teeth, but it was a friendly smile, a happy smile, because it was obvious to the orc that Nori understood.

Nori couldn't believe it.

The orc, Burburghurz, was telling the truth.

/I See Fire! Burning the Trees!/

Alright, I hope you all enjoyed that.

So, I know that a lot of people just don't like orcs, and are not willing to give the poor buggers a chance, but, please, give Burb a chance before you decide you don't like him.

I really disliked orcs and any stories about orcs, or uruk-hai for that matter, until I read the author Zoop's Mammoth Proportions series and helenamarkos' Splint, so, if you need some convincing that orcs can be the good guys, please read those, because they are what inspired Burb.

BTW, Burburghurz means something along the lines of limp/lightweight.


	5. Chapter 5

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Enjoy!

/I See Fire! Hallowing Souls!/

"He's tellin' the truth."

Dwalin and Thorin's heads snapped toward Nori, their eyes wide and expressions shocked, as were those of the guards in the room, as the former thief turned to face his friends from where he had been standing and intently examining the orc's salve, after he had glanced up at the grinning orc, which was what had distracted the two other dwarves from Nori to begin with, despite the fact that Dwalin had asked Nori if he was alright after he had gone stock still.

Nori's expression was more than a little shocked himself, his mouth agape as he looked at Thorin and Dwalin, not quite able to believe what he had just said either. The trio looked at each other for a moment before Nori regained himself, as he needed to answer the questioning looks in the eyes of his friends since they obviously hadn't connected the dots or didn't remember that night in Rivendell, which was understandable, all things considered, given everything that happened that day.

Nori looked back at Burb, who was now smiling a more restrained, but no less pleased, smile, his yellow eyes no longer afraid, but still wary. Nori nodded at Burb and Burb nodded back, the star haired dwarf now addressing Dwalin and Thorin," Rivendell. Our firs' nigh' in Rivendell. Sam was tendin' ta our burns wi' Oin's salve an' then she started tellin' 'im abou' a burn remedy from 'er 'ome. The main ingredient was a plan' called aloe vera. She offered ta either 'elp 'im find i' or try ta ge' a merhan' ta' bring' i' ta' 'em."

Realization was slowly dawning on the faces of the King and the Captain of the Guard, both remembering that night.

Nori couldn't help but smile as he continued," Our lass was righ', tha' is a little tidbit abou' our ques' tha' she woul' never tell anyone bu' a frien'," he glanced at Burb, still not quite sure of the orc, but willing to give him, and Sam, the benefit of a doubt, though he would definitely be keeping a close eye on him," an' no enemy woul' ever care ta' know."

Dwalin and Thorin continued to stare at Nori for a few moments before turning to look at each other, then back at Nori, then at Burb, whose smile shrunk under their more scrutinizing, though less hostile than earlier, looks. The two old friends nodded at each other, seeming to come to a decision.

"Everyone out, we will speak to the orc alone."

Some of the guards wanted to protest their king's order, not trusting anything the orc said, some of them even daring to doubt Nori, but one unanimous look from their three superiors, glares that brooked no argument, had them all scuttling our the door to wait outside.

Burb looked up at the three dwarves with a searching look, wondering what they were going to do now that they were alone with him.

Thorin could not believe what he was about to say...to an orc," It appears that you are telling the truth...Burb," Thorin did not quite spit out his name with venom, but he did not say it in a way that was friendly, but still, Burb thought, it was a step in the right direction," as I do remember, as Nori mentioned, Sam speaking of that plant to Oin. You are lucky that Nori remembered," Nori shrugged, as it was his job to remember details and collect information," but, given that you do indeed seem to be Sam's...friend," Thorin was having a hard time digesting the fact that Sam, their Sam, was friends with an orc, of all things, after everything they had been through, everything she had been through, but, he could not help but admit to himself, it was not terribly surprising, given that Sam had managed to befriend thirteen dwarves, a hobbit, a wizard, a skin changer, and some elves," I will tell you what has happened to Sam."

Dwalin looked like he was going to protest telling the orc, who he was not at all ready to believe, despite his apparent proof, but he was silenced by a look from Thorin and Nori's hand on on his arm. The former thief had gone to him, shaking his head, urging him with his eyes to calm down, because, Nori talking to his lover with some quick Iglishmek, that no matter what they told the orc none of them would ever let Sam come to harm, and they really didn't want to kill a friend of Sam's if they could help it, not when they still weren't completely sure where they stood with her, if she was angry with them or not, neither willing to jeopardize their standing with Sam over the orc, no matter how they might feel about it..

Once he was sure that Dwalin wasn't going to say anything to contradict him, receiving a nod from Dwalin and Nori both, Thorin continued," Sam was attacked and and held prisoner for a few days by an pack of orcs that ventured too close to our borders," Thorin, despite having some proof that Burb was a friend of Sam's, still found himself surprised when the orc's slightly pleased expression morphed into one of fear and worry, obviously concerned by the knowledge of Sam being left in the clutches of his kin," she was tortured," Nori and Dwalin could not help the guilty looks hat crossed their faces, Thorin taking a deep breath before he continued, not willing to show his attachment to Sam to the orc until he had proved himself trustworthy, which Thorin still doubted he ever would, not realizing that it was terribly obvious to Burb that they all cared about Sam, even as the orc shoulders sagged when he heard what Sam had had to endure, again," Nori and Dwalin found her in their camp when they were out hunting the orcs and brought her back here," all three of them were a little surprised by the quiet 'thank you' from Burb, the three sharing a look before Thorin continued," where Oin treated her injuries. Sam, however, has not been healing as she should, and has not woken in the two months she has been here...We do not know why, and do not know when, if ever, she will wake."

Thorin did not know what else to say, a lump forming in his throat as he was forced to admit, something he had not quite been willing to admit to himself, to an orc, that Sam was not alright, that they didn't know why, and that they didn't know if they would ever be able to talk to their lass again, and it hurt. So Thorin silenced, taking comfort from the hand Dwalin put on his shoulder as Nori tightened the grip he had on Dwalin's elbow, the only outward signs that they were distressed by his words.

Burb looked distressed as well, but he also had a deliberating look on his face, as if he was trying to figure out what to do, putting all of the dwarves a little more on edge than they already were in his presence, wondering what in the world he needed to figure out.

Burb finally looked up at the dwarves, determination and concern in his eyes," Let me see her, look at her injuries, try to figure out what's wrong,. Please," needless to say, the dwarves had not expected him to say that," I am a healer, an orcish healer, but a healer nonetheless," at the skeptical, and slightly more suspicious, looks, because he was still an orc, and what he was meant they were inherently suspicious of him, not matter who he was to their lass, the long standing instincts something that would take a considerable amount of time to dispel, Burb continued," I know that being an orcish healer doesn't mean much to you, but if they did something to Sam, I'm the best person to figure out what's wrong with her and fix it," Thorin, believe it or not, actually looked to be considering Burb's offer, the fact that Oin, the best healer in the entire kingdom, didn't know what was wrong, even after two months of trying to figure it out, a driving factor behind his consideration. Nori was just looking at the orc, studying him, trying to decide if it was worth taking the risk to trust Sam's life to Burb, Dwalin the only one that looked completely opposed to the idea. Burb, seeing the considering looks of Thorin and Nori, ignoring Dwalin's glare, as he hadn't thought for a second that he was going to move the warrior to support him, no matter what he said, he continued," Please, please, let me try to help her. I beg you, please, I don't want to lose her anymore than you do."

Burb's eyes were pleading with the dwarves as he looked up at them from his position on the floor, begging them for a chance to help Sam. Thorin and Nori had a quiet conversation in Khuzdul, with Dwalin putting in his objections to what they were considering, but, Burb was right, an orc would probably have better luck figuring out what damage other orcs had done to Sam, knowledge that Oin lacked simply because he was a dwarf, and, with that in mind, they came to a decision.

Nori and Thorin nodded at each other, Dwalin just growling his displeasure, but willing to trust the judgement of his king and his lover, as long as he could keep a close eye on the orc, Thorin speaking to Burb," I am willing to give you a chance to treat Sam," Burb visibly brightened at this news, glad to have a chance to help his friend, that they were giving him at all, giving him a reason to start to believe all of the kind things that Sam had told him about these dwarves might actually be true," but," Burb sighed, because of course there were strings attached, bloody suspicious dwarves," there will be rules you must follow, such as you will be accompanied at all times, and you will be confined to a cell when you are not actively treating Sam or contributing to her care," Thorin leveled a hard look at Burb, which the orc met with his own steady gaze, unwilling to back down or cower when Sam's life might be on the line," Am I understood, Burburghurz?"

Burb nodded, not at all pleased by the idea of being stuck in a cell, but it was better than being killed or confined to a cell without the chance to help Sam. Burb, however, despite his displeasure, couldn't help how the edge of his mouth was pulling up in amusement at the dwarven king as he stumbled over the unfamiliar syllables of him name.

Dwalin started grumbling as Nori asked," Alright, Burb, do ya' nee' anythin' before we take ya' ta Sam?"

Burb cocked an eyebrow at Nori as he answered," Other than being untied and putting my things back in my pack?" that got Burb a fierce grin from the Spymaster, sarcasm always going over well with the former thief, part of the reason why he and Sam had always gotten along so well, as Dwalin just stood near the door, watching Burb, making sure he understood, through his fierce glare, that he was going to be keeping a very close watch on him. Thorin only huffed at the sarcasm of the orc, though he was slightly amused by the completely disparate reactions of the two lovers to Burb's words, always amazed that the two different completely different dwarves that his friends were could fall in love," I need a bath, because I don't want to risk worsening Sam's injuries by contaminating them with all of this yuck."

Burb shrugged his shoulders after accessing, with treating a patient in mind, how dirty he was as the three dwarves looked at him funny for a few moments, before nodding their heads, agreeing that he needed to be cleaned up before being allowed anywhere near Sam.

/And I See Fire! Blood in the Breeze!/

Dwalin was standing next to the door of the room they had given Burb to bathe in, a large tub of steaming water sitting in the middle of the store room, Dwalin watching the orc very closely as he bathed.

Burb had been very cooperative, after being untied and allowed to put all of his things back in his pack, when they had snuck him into the room, as they had never intended to parade him though the streets of Erebor and either start a panic or make their fellow dwarves think they had lost their minds. Nori had covered him in a big, billowy cloak, brought to him by his right hand minion, after he had passed a message through his network of people in Erebor, the fierce lass, Pheema, barely even batting an eye at the orc. Nori had been pleased that Burb was only about 4 foot 9' because it made him easy to conceal, the fact that he was the same height as a dwarf therefore making him easy to conceal and ensuring that he would not stick out because of his height. Then, with Dwalin in tow, carrying Burb's pack, the Spymaster had ushered his lover and the orc into one of the many hidden passages of Erebor, Nori making sure to obscure much of Burb's sight because he didn't want him to know his way through the secret passages of Erebor, and they soon arrived in the store room.

Nori had then run off, leaving Dwalin to keep watch over Burb, per Thorin's orders, the King having gone off to finish his veritable mountains of paperwork, trusting the two to be more than capable to deal with a single orc, and arranged to have the bath brought there for Burb, who had, unbidden, wisely hid behind one of the many crates in the room, Dwalin standing beside him to further block him from view, but never taking his eyes off of Burb when the tub and buckets of warm and cool water had been brought in by more of Nori's minions.

Nori then left to fetch Oin, after knocking his forehead to Dwalin's and giving him a fleeting kiss when Burb's back was turned, telling him not to kill the orc while he was gone, as he would be back to take Burb to Sam's quarters the same way he had taken him to the storeroom, and bring the old dwarf to Sam's quarters, as they wanted a healer they trusted implicitly to watch over Burb's actions when he was with Sam, willing though they were to give him a chance, they did not trust him.

Dwalin was not pleased that he was stuck keeping an eye on the orc by himself, while he bathed no less, but he was not the only one displeased by this arrangement, as, when it became obvious that Dwalin was going to being keeping a very close eye on him, even as he divested himself of his dirty clothes, no matter the fact that he was naked and obviously didn't have any weapons or pose a threat, Burb had promptly turned around and started ignoring him, which worked for Dwalin just fine, as this was ridiculously awkward for them both, and decidedly disgusting for Dwalin.

Dwalin did, however, acknowledge that Burb baring his bare back to him, willingly, if unhappy about it, when Dwalin was still as heavily armed as he usually was, was an act of faith on the orc's part, as it meant he was in the far more vulnerable position, and Dwalin understood that it was also a subtle gesture on Burb's part that he meant no harm and had no intention of causing trouble.

Burb, before hopping in the tub, which he had poured the cold and hot water into to his own satisfaction, had dug a block of soap out of his bag, along with a fresh change of clothes, and had simply begun to wash himself.

Dwalin came to the conclusion that Burb was likely part goblin, because he was thin and short, and his feet were the sort that could grasp, meaning he was an excellent climber, but was still well muscled, the slide of his muscles under his dark purple skin apparent as he moved. He also had a fair share of scars, mostly lash marks on his back, but he also had rings on his wrists that looked to be from manacles, and scars typical of a warrior, such as slashes on his ribcage and a stabbing scar on his back.

It only took about fifteen minutes for Burb to get satisfactorily clean, cleaner than Dwalin would have thought an orc would have cared to be, being more thorough than many dwarves he knew, the water becoming murky gray and disgusting from all of the filth that had been covering him.

Dwalin was shocked to discover, as the orc stepped out of the tub after having rinsed his hair one last time, his back still to the large dwarf, that Burb's hair was not the color he thought it would be, namely gray or black, but was actually as white as snow, flowing down his back in a long, thick wave, the fact that it was obvious he was not very old indicating that it was his natural hair color, a color Dwalin had not been aware that orcs could have.

Burb got dressed in soft, light brown leather pants, a shirt with billowy sleeves and cuffs at the wrists that was as white as his hair, a leather waistcoat with what looked to have carved bone buttons, and he put his light brown leather boots back on.

It was then that it became obvious to Dwalin that Sam had taught Burb to groom himself according to dwarven custom, likely with the intent to provide him protection from being automatically killed by dwarves and make him seem less alien to them, even if the orc may not understand just what she had taught him and why it was important.

The orc sat down next to his pack and drew out a simple, but elegantly carved, bone comb and began to comb out his long white hair, which reached all the way down to the small of his back. After he was done combing it, Burb put his comb back and drew out a small bag that turned out to contain hair beads, something very dwarvish and not at all orcish, making Dwalin wonder if he had any idea what they, and different braids, meant to dwarves, not sure if Sam had bothered to educate him on that or not.

Dwalin soon came to the conclusion, as he continued to observe the orc, that Sam had, indeed, used Dori's lessons in braiding and Balin's lessons on dwarven culture to teach Burb the same things she had been taught, their clever lass likely thinking that it would keep her friend safer than he would otherwise be, and she was right, as usual. Dwalin just shook his head and smiled slightly at that thought, knowing that any dwarf that saw an orc made up somewhat like a dwarf would, at the very least, give pause before they did anything to him.

Dwalin started a bit when he realized that the silver beads that Burb was using to tie off the two small braids he had braided in front of his pointed ears, which were cocked toward Dwalin (apparently the orc was as wary of him as he was of Burb), were both unique, bearing what looked to be makers marks, which meant they were made by two different people with enough knowledge of dwarven culture that it allowed them to impart messages to any dwarf who saw Burb. The placement and some of the runes he could see on the beads meant he was considered family by the people who had made them for him, and was under their protection. One bead seemed to have a scene of stars and the moon over the ocean that morphed into a sunset on the opposite side of the bead, with the declarative runes on the borders at the ends, whereas the other bead had a crossed bow and hammer, bordered by a geometric leaf pattern, on it on both sides with the same runes on the borders at the ends.

But Sam didn't know any dwarvish runes, or Khuzdul for that matter...so how had they ended up on the beads? Was the friend she had watching the caravan from Rhun another dwarf that had taught Sam the runes and extended their protection to Burb as well?

Dwalin didn't know what to think of this development, or when he would learn, if ever, the answer to that question, but he wasn't going to worry about it at the moment, they had more important things to worry about, like taking care of Sam.

Burb continued grooming himself under Dwalin's scrutiny, putting in two more braids on either side of his head and attaching the last of his beads, these silver beads having a mountain range motif on them that Dwalin assumed was Burb's mark, as there were twelve of them dispersed between the four braids and it was more typical for a dwarf, even though Burb was definitely not a dwarf, to wear beads of their own make or with their family or personal mark unless they had been given by someone dear to them.

After completing his braids and attaching all of the beads, Burb tied his hair back up in the knot at the back of his head that it had been in to begin with, Dwalin unaware that it was an orcish warrior's knot, that only evidence of orcish culture on him, though only Sam would know what it was.

Burb quietly and efficiently packed away his things, finishing just as Nori reappeared, who looked at Dwalin in question when he saw the beads, but he had only shrugged, unable to tell his lover anything about them but the obvious, especially since he and Burb had not spoken the entire time Nori had been gone, and then they were off to Sam's quarters.

/ I See Fire! Oh You Know I See A City Burning Up!/

When Nori, Dwalin, and Burb finally got to Sam's quarters, instead of finding Oin waiting for them, they found Ori. Apparently they had beat the old healer there, so the person who had been watching Sam, the young scribe that was now staring at Nori and Dwalin, wondering who in the world they had covered up in a cloak and were bringing to Sam's room, had not been dismissed under the pretense that Oin was going to check Sam's injuries.

The only odd thing was that Ori had not been the one they expected to find watching over Sam today.

"Ori? Wha' are you doin' here? I though' Kili woul' be hauntin' Sam's bedside again."

Ori smiled slightly at his brother from beside Sam's bed, where he was holding her hand in his left and doodling with his right, shaking his head at his brother, his eyes a little sad, the way they always were when he kept an eye on their sleeping lass.

"He was here, but Fili dragged him off to spar," Ori shook his head again, remembering how reluctant to leave Kili had been," Fili and I both agreed that he needed to get out and do something, he's been spending so much time in here, just waiting for Sam to wake up, that he hasn't taken anytime for himself. It's was definitely starting to show, so we just did a little bit of an intervention."

Dwalin and Nori nodded in understanding, knowing how Kili had almost been glued to Sam's side since she had returned to them, and how he was only looking more and more exhausted as the weeks went by, becoming more irritable to boot. But both of the older dwarves also smiled when they saw the slightly cheeky grin on Ori's face, as the young scribe was obviously a little proud of himself and Fili for conspiring against Kili to get him to do something fun, and it actually working, which meant that Kili had to have been really worn down to finally give in. Nori and Dwalin were glad to hear the youngsters were taking care of each other when no one else could figure out how to convince Kili to relax a little, grateful that they had noticed how bad he had gotten and taken care of him, even if they were all guilty of running themselves a little more ragged than they ought these days.

"So, who's your friend?"

Ori was looking at the still disguised Burb with a curious look on his face, prompting the orc to go still and Nori and Dwalin to look at each other, a simultaneous,"Uuuuhhhhh..." slipping out of their mouths (Burb couldn't help but think 'terribly eloquent, these two' as he rolled his eyes, unseen), which only made Ori cock an eyebrow, wondering what in the world had gotten into the two.

"Um, maybe I should introduce myself?"

Ori perked up at the unfamiliar voice, expression becoming guarded as he tried to figure out what about the voice didn't sound right, Burb turning his head toward Nori carefully, to avoid exposing what he was, and because he really didn't feel comfortable talking to Dwalin given how subtly hostile he was to Burb, if not quite outright threatening.

Nori looked at Burb's hidden face, then at Dwalin, who only shrugged, because it was not like they were really going to keep Burb's existence a secret from the Company, but, unlike what they normally did with anything Sam related, they hadn't consulted the rest of the Company before bringing Burb to Sam's quarters to try and figure out what was wrong with her, which meant that they might have a big problem on their hands.

But, then again, it was Ori, and he trusted his brother, Dwalin, and Thorin implicitly, so, while he would likely be annoyed with them for not informing everyone before making their decision, or at least warning him, and be a bit suspicious, in all likelihood Ori would probably be more accepting of Burb than they were, especially once he heard about the proof that the orc had provided.

So, after a few moments of mouthing words to each other, Ori only becoming more curious and on edge as the moments went by, wondering if something was wrong, Nori and Dwalin nodded at each other, and Nori nodded at Burb, who had been patiently awaiting their answer.

Burb nodded back at Nori, and, after taking a deep breath, quickly reached up and pulled the hood of the cloak back, revealing his face.

But the only thing that Ori needed to see to know what he was were his clawed hands.

Ori was up and out of his chair in moments, much faster than he had been at the beginning of their quest, experience and Nori having taught him to be quick, his sketchbook and charcoal going flying across the floor as he whipped the two short handled battle axes he kept on his belt into his hands and into a defensive stance in front of Sam, even as he sent bewildered looks towards Nori and Dwalin, wondering what in the world they were thinking bringing an orc to Sam's room.

"What, in Mahal's name, is an orc doing in Erebor?! And why did you bring him here?!" Ori stared at his brother and Dwalin before continuing," Nori? Dwalin? What is going on?"

Nori and Dwalin could only shrug and give Ori slightly chagrined looks as Burb began to speak, hands up and palms out in the universal gesture of meaning no harm, the Royal Scribe's eyes returning to the orc after having flicked between Nori and Dwalin again, looking for answers," My name is Burburghurz, though you may call me Burb. I know this will probably be hard for you to believe, Master Ori, but I am a friend of Sam's," Ori's defensive stance did not relax in response to Burb's words, but his expression changed from one of determination and protectiveness to confusion and curiosity, especially when his brother and the dwarf his brother loved both nodded at him, the youngest of the brothers Ri throwing a glance at Sam, finding it didn't surprise him as much as it probably should have that Sam might give an orc a chance," And your brother and Master Dwalin have brought me here to-"

"He's a healer, Ori-lad, an orcish one, but a healer nonetheless, and your brother tells me that he has enough proof that he is Sam's friend that Thorin actually agreed to let him come up here and take a look at her, see if he can figure out what's wrong since I can't seem to."

Oin didn't miss a beat as Dwalin moved out of the way to let him into the room, all business as he nodded at Burb, as he obviously already knew who he was and why he was there, courtesy of Nori, though his eyes did widen slightly at his first glimpse of the orc that called Sam friend, they widened slightly more when he saw the beads, but he did not comment, thinking that all would be revealed in time.

Oin simply walked across the room to stand beside Ori, smacking him on the back to bring him out of his shocked state, a quick flick of his eyes toward Ori's axes prompting the young scribe to lower them, a slight squeeze of the hand on his shoulder causing him to sigh and finally put them away, especially as he realized that no one else was treating the orc as an immediate threat.

Oin was glad that Ori was not reacting to this as badly as he could, the reassurance of his brother and the other two members of the Company good enough for him, at the moment, as he likely would not ask any questions of them in the orc's presence. Oin wasn't quite sure what to make of this situation himself, his inner confusion mirroring that on Ori's face, he just knew that they couldn't waste an offer of aide for Sam from someone who did have decent proof that he wasn't lying, he still couldn't believe that Sam had, brilliantly, thought to give Burb the aloe vera salve as proof, and who likely had greater insight into what might be wrong than Oin did. The eldest son of Groin did not necessarily trust the orc, but the fact that Burb had braved actually coming into Erebor, a dangerous place for any orc, for the sake of finding Sam, did, for lack of proof to the contrary, as he had learned from their lass that judging someone just based on what they are often times bites you in the ass, indicate at least a hint of good intentions, so Oin was willing to give him a chance.

But Ori still sent Oin a questioning look, to which Oin could only say, smiling slightly at Ori," Surprising, I know. But, still, as odd as this is, we can't waste an opportunity to help Sam, now can we, lad?"

Ori didn't like that an orc was standing in Sam's room, and he didn't quite know what to make of him claiming to be Sam's friend, but he did know that Sam was just getting worse and that, if Thorin, Nori, Dwalin, and Oin were willing to give him a chance he was to, so he only shook his head at Oin, keeping his thoughts on the matter to himself, for now.

"Good. Now, Ori, would you be so kind as to go and get some hot water? Sam might be needing another dose of that pain killing tea."

Ori only nodded at Oin and, after looking at Nori and Dwalin one last time for assurance, began to leave the room.

Burb had been standing still in front of Nori and Dwalin the entire time, looking slightly surprised by the somewhat flippant attitude and honest acknowledgement that he needed help figuring out what was wrong from Oin, but he found himself feeling far less intimidated by the two new dwarves, despite Ori's immediate attack position, which he had expected, but at least he didn't attack on sight, asking questions first, which was always a good sign, than he was by the three dwarves who had been interrogating him, which matched Sam's descriptions of them nicely.

Burb smiled softly at Ori as he went by, trying to make himself look friendly despite being an orc, and Ori paused, gave him a once over and studied his face closely, then, finding none of the malice and ill intent he had found in the eyes of every other orc he had ever met (fought actually, because you really don't 'meet' orcs on a battlefield), gave Burb a small ghost of a smile. That smile, tiny though it was, gave the poor orc hope that he might actually be able to at least be on friendly terms with some of the Company, eventually, and then the young scribe was gone, thinking to himself that maybe it really was possible for an orc to be something other than a creature of darkness, leaving Burb with the Spymaster, Guard Captain, and Royal Healer.

After a few beats of silence Burb asked Oin, who was studying him, with a tilt of his head and his eyes, if he could go to Sam, to which Oin nodded and moved out of the way, spreading an arm out in invitation, though, only Dwalin and Nori knew this, he had his other hand on the small, hidden dagger he always had on his person, just in case.

Burb dropped the cloak on Ori's chair and immediately knelt by Sam's bedside, not liking what he was seeing at all, as Sam was thinner, much thinner, than she had been when last he saw her, and she was pale and unmoving, a sight Burb had never wanted to see again, not after all they had been through together.

Nori, Dwalin and Oin were not sure what to make of the fact that Burb began to purr, the sound rumbling up from deep in his chest, as he looked over Sam, apparently trying to soothe her sleeping mind, which actually worked, their lass settling more into the mattress at the sound. They were also surprised by the way he gently stroked her forehead and her hair, though Dwalin had been ready to grab him, to prevent the orc from touching their lass in such a intimate way when he didn't trust him in the least, only to be held back by Nori's arm and a look from Oin, when he had touched his forehead to Sam's. The gentle expression that had come over Burb's face as he did it told them that Sam was as dear to him as she was to them, and they relaxed a little, even if Dwalin only became more aggravated, that simple act giving them a little more faith that they were not being foolish in allowing this orc near Sam.

All three dwarves became terribly perplexed, and somewhat disgusted, when Burb, after checking all of Sam's injuries, began to sniff her. He did it for a few minutes, sniffing her face and her wounds, until Dwalin was about to tell him to stop doing it, though he couldn't decide whether the bestial behavior or Burb's familiarity with Sam bothered him more, but then Burb spoke.

"She's been poisoned."

Nori and Dwalin, who momentarily forgot his displeasure, Nori eyes now focusing on the orc's face when he had previously been scrutinizing every move he made, looked at Oin, who only shook his head as he watched Burb feeling Sam's temperature," No, I don't think so, she's not presenting any of the classic signs of orcish poison, and all of her wounds have stayed clean and clear."

Burb looked over at Oin and shook his head, answering," No, Master Oin, not all orcish poisons work the same. The fact that Sam still hasn't woken up and her healing is sluggish is a symptom of some of the rarer orcish poisons, many of which are often applied to knives for the sake of torturing prisoners, rather than using them on swords in battle because it is so difficult to produce large quantities of the poison, which explains why you weren't able to figure out what was ailing Sam, though you have done well mitigating it's effects," all of the dwarves perked up at this, now intent to hear what the orc had to say, hoping he was right, hoping against their instincts that Burb could help Sam, that he might really have the answer to why Sam hadn't woken up yet," Luckily I can smell which poison of those rarer varieties this is, as it gives the afflicted a distinct odor, and Sam smells strongly of it, though do not ask me to describe it, because I don't think dwarvish noses are strong enough to pick up the scent," all of the dwarves nodded at that, knowing that their senses of smell could never hope to rival an orcs, and Dwalin relaxed slightly now that he knew the reason that Burb had been sniffing Sam," We're lucky that Sam has some immunity to this particular poison, or else she would already be dead."

"How do ya' know she 'as an immunity ta' this poison?"

Brub looked at the growling dwarf that was Dwalin, who was, again, bothered by the apparent familiarity of Burb with Sam, even though he knew it made sense if they had been traveling together over the past year, as Burb walked over to him and held out his hand for his pack, Dwalin giving it to him begrudgingly, beginning to rummage though it as he answered," I know because this would not be the first time I have treated her for it," Burb shook his head in exasperation as he looked at Sam fondly, drawing a little packet out of his bag," I swear she attracts trouble like no one I have ever known."

The dwarves could only nod and smile slightly at that statement, knowing it to be true themselves.

Burb held up the little packet to Oin, smiling slightly," Which is why I always have the antidote to every poison I have any knowledge of on hand," Burb handed the packet to Oin so he could inspect it, the old dwarf opening it up to spy the many different dried plants inside, taking it to be the kind that was brewed like a tea," all we need to do is give her a dose of the antidote everyday for a week and she should wake after it has been purged from her body, then her healing will speed up again," Burb couldn't help his relieved smile as he looked at the dwarves," We'll have our lass back before long."

Dwalin glowered at the orc, still not trusting him, Nori not quite liking how he had so easily solved their problem, but more willing than his lover to give Sam's apparent friend a chance, especially knowing that, if he turned out to be false, he would face a very painful death, he and Dwalin, and probably some other members of the Company, making sure of it, the former thief running his fingers over the hilts of his daggers at the thought, something Burb chose to ignore, knowing they weren't going to trust him until Sam woke and vouched for him. Dwalin was simply suspicious of everything the orc said, even if his explanation of the poison and why Oin didn't know it made sense, so he asked a question that he thought was entirely justified in this situation, especially considering they had only just met the orc a few hours ago," An' 'ow do we know tha' your antidote isn't another poison tha' will kill 'er?"

Burb leveled an even stare at Dwalin, just looking at him for a few moments before he spoke, though Dwalin did nothing but glare at him back, Burb not thinking for a minute that the big dwarf would react in any other way to a glare from, in Dwalin's obvious opinion, a lowly orc, Burb not appreciating one bit being accused of trying to hurt Sam, even as Dwalin made himself look bigger to appear more intimidating in response to the non-verbal challenge," You don't, not until it has had time to take effect," Nori cocked an eyebrow at the boldness of the orc, running his fingers over the hilts of his *visible* daggers, Burb's eyes flicking toward him at the motion, knowing what it was that the Spymaster was trying to convey with the action, that if it did kill Sam, he was a good as dead, though Burb knew it would not come to that, because he would never hurt Sam, but Nori and Dwalin could not deny that Burb was brave for saying such and acting like he was toward them, and, they also couldn't help but think, that if it did turn out that Sam was really his friend and the antidote woke Sam up in the next week, that she had chosen her companion well, for he was, if nothing else, loyal to her and steadfast in his protection of her, and defense of himself, if a tad snarky for their tastes, thought they might just be judging him overly harshly because he was an orc. Oin just nodded his head again at Burb's words, distracted by studying the medicine, realizing that he knew many of the plants and could likely make the antidote himself, giving him faith in the medicine that Burb provided, and prompting him to think that maybe he could talk the orc into teaching him more about orcish poisons and how to treat them," And besides, even if it did kill her, a quick death by poison would be kinder that just allowing her to waste away like this."

Burb looked pointedly at Sam, that person lying on the bed so different from the lively girl they all knew, and Nori, Oin, and Dwalin couldn't help but, internally, agree with Burb.

/And I See Fire! Feel the Heat Upon My Skin!/

Alright, I hope y'all enjoyed that. I am really happy with the way this chapter turned out.

So, I might be able to get these out a little quicker because there is a bit of a lull in the madness that is my life, but I am making no guarantees, just giving you a heads up.

Another thing I wanted to mention is that if I bother to name another oc, such as Pheema, they will be showing up later, not necessarily next chapter, but they will be showing up.

I also wanted to mention that, if I could actually draw something other than demented stick figures, I would illustrate all of the new characters, like Burb, that I introduce, cause I am not entirely sure if the way I describe them quite does the way I see them in my head justice, so just saying, that if anyone wants to take a stab at drawing them, please feel free and know that it will be greatly appreciated and I will applaud the fact that you did it (and be terribly flattered) and will gladly post the link to your beautiful artwork on my profile. Disclaimer: nobody has to do this, it is just a thought (though it might inspire me to write faster...;) ) cause I feel like it would be easier to connect with the characters or visualize them in the story and help me tell it if I could actually show you how they look, but, since, I can't draw...well...yeah ;) *author hurries up and posts this chapter so they can't get rid of this part, then runs and hides while blushing furiously*

Until next time! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Standard Disclaimers Apply!

Enjoy!

/And I See Fire!/

Needless to say, the rest of the Company was not happy when they found out that Thorin, Dwalin, Nori, and Oin had thought it wise to allow an orc anywhere near their lass that night, after they had all returned from their respective jobs and were told over dinner, destroying all hope they had for a quiet night in their quarters in the absurdly large Royal Wing. Bofur and Bifur had begun to yell along with Dori and Gloin about 'what were you thinking' and 'why didn't you tell us first' and 'why did you even let an orc in Erebor'. Bombur had just looked aghast, worried for Sam more than angry that they hadn't been told.

The only ones who had not been privy to the decisions that were not absolutely livid were Ori, Fili, and Kili, and that's because, as soon as Ori delivered the hot water to Oin (after dropping eaves on the conversation with Burb regarding Sam being poisoned, that boy has gotten downright brave and devious, especially with Sam back), Ori had gone to find the dynamic duo.

Fili and Kili, of course, had been angry as soon as the words 'orc' and 'Sam' left Ori's mouth and had been ready to stomp off to yell at their uncle, Nori, Dwalin, and Oin, but Ori tugging on both their ears got them to shut up and stay still (even if it got them stared at because the Royal Scribe was manhandling the heirs and telling them to shut up, most of the dwarves in the training fields couldn't help but think that they were never going to understand the king's Company, and they were probably right), and Ori was able to tell them the rest of what he knew. Fili and Kili calmed considerably after they heard the reasoning behind why their uncle and two of the most protective dwarves they had ever known allowed an orc near Sam, and, they had to say, now that they knew, they could understand why they had allowed Burb to try and treat Sam, because, really, he did have rather good proof, and he seemed knowledgeable enough, especially since Oin knew what all of the plants in the tea Burb wanted to giver her was and how they worked (the old dwarf hadn't realized he was mumbling about them to himself, so Ori knew he knew what the plants were and what they did).

But that didn't mean any of them trusted Burb, so they all decided to keep an eye on him, and possibly have a private word with him, though Ori did say that he seemed nice, that his eyes were different from any other orc's he had ever seen, that they seemed clearer and less shadowed.

So, while the rest of the Company was fuming, and those who had acted without telling everyone couldn't get a word in edgewise to defend themselves and their decision, the trio of youngsters simply stood on the sidelines and watched the show, until they took pity on Thorin, Nori, Dwalin, and Oin, the idea that they might have Sam back in a week making them more playful than they had been in ages.

Kili, sneaking up behind Bofur's chair, had managed to get a hand over Bofur's mouth to shut him up, doing the same to Bifur, who was right next to his cousin, Fili doing the same to Gloin (who tried to bite his hand he was so mad) and Ori to Dori (because neither of the princes wanted to deal with a pissed Dori, who could bodily toss both of them across a room no problem) and, finally, the full story came out.

Everyone was still annoyed with being left out of the decision making process, but they did understand why Burb had been allowed near Sam, though not all believed it was wise. However, after Oin reminded them that he couldn't have helped Sam because he lacked the intimate knowledge of orcish poisons that Burb had, they relented, and it was agreed by all in the Company (as well as Midala and Dis, because they did not want to watch the Company continue to suffer from not knowing if Sam would ever wake up) that the best course of action to help Sam was, indeed, to allow Burb to treat her, though none were terribly happy with this choice, Dwalin, Gloin, Dori, Bifur, and Bofur especially.

All of the members of the Company, some by themselves, others in groups, went down to the Erebor jail that night to pay a visit the cell that Burb had been assigned by Thorin, and gave him a good talking to, to make sure he understood just what they would do to him if he was lying or hurt Sam.

They also interrogated Burb about how he met Sam and the like, but he did not tell them because he felt it was Sam's story to tell, and would not budge on the decision, so the Company just had to wait until Sam woke to know what had happened at the Battle of the Five Armies, and everything since.

Burb had only nodded at all the things the dwarves said when they spoke to him from the other side of the bars, saying he would threaten them all the same way if their positions were reversed, politely of course, and that had been that, because, after they had talked to Burb, they all tried to be at least a little friendly (begrudgingly though they did it) toward Burb, except for Dwalin and Nori, to an extent, because, if he was truly, truly Sam's friend (something they were all having a hard time believing, regardless of Sam's track record with befriending other races) they didn't want to alienate him and give Sam a reason to leave again, though Burb knew they would have to do something truly awful to get her to leave, now that she was here and, he thought, welcome, but he didn't tell them that.

The entire Company was also thrown for a loop by how polite Burb was, and how friendly and intelligent he seemed, another reason they were willing to give him a chance, even if they didn't know quite what to make of an orc that acted that way, or why he did.

The only weird thing that happened when they all met Burb, aside from talking to a polite orc, was the way that Bifur and Burb had stared at each other for a few moments when the Broadbeams had gone down to Burb's cell. Burb just sat and stared at Bifur while Bifur just stood and stared at Burb, then their attentions were both drawn back to the world at large when Bofur started talking to Burb. Bofur and Bombur had no idea why their cousin and the orc had been staring at each other, they just knew they didn't like it, so they mutually decided to keep the two apart as much as possible, as Bifur, typically, didn't react well to orcs anyway, because of the axe, but, oddly enough, after meeting Burb, Bifur seemed much more alright with the idea of an orc taking care of their lass than he had been previously, alright enough that his younger cousins could not help but wonder if there was something more to this.

So, a week went by with Burb and Oin tending to Sam, giving her the medicinal tea, everyone taking turns watching Burb while Oin was distracted, the orc being returned to his cell every night, always through the secret passages because they didn't want to start a panic in the city, but the orc was always polite and cooperative.

Everyone was glad to see Sam improving over the course of that week, color coming back to her cheeks, her sleep truly sound and not nightmare ridden, and her wounds were closing up more quickly than they had been.

They all hoped Sam would wake soon.

/And I See Fire Burn Auburn on the Mountainside!/

Everything was fuzzy.

That was Sam's first thought as she began to return to consciousness.

Sam didn't know where she was or what was going on, and felt very sluggish, but, as she slowly rose to full awareness, she slowly became aware of things, such as the fact that she was lying on something soft, that she was warm, and that she felt like shit, her body aching, throbbing, horribly, and her stomach was a little queasy.

Sam sifted through all the different sensations she was feeling, trying to figure out what had happened, when she was last awake, but then she heard voices, familiar voices.

Those voices were what finally pulled Sam back to the waking world, and reminded her that she was in Erebor, that she had warned Nori about he assassins...and then passed out in his arms.

Sam finally realized that she was lying in a bed (probably in Erebor), covered in bandages (she hoped they were Oin's doing, or Burb's, because she trusted them more than any of the other healers that might be in the mountain), and that she was listening to people talk.

Sam was still a little confused, but, when she opened her eyes just a crack, because the light seemed a bit to bright at the moment, she was met with a sight she had dearly missed in the year she had spent out wandering Middle Earth.

Ori, Fili, and Kili were sitting by her bedside, talking.

Kili was holding her hand as Ori doodled and Fili, the walking armory that he was, sharpened his knives. They were talking about some lord from the Iron Hills who was being a pompous windbag, and being incredibly rude to the members of the Company who were not born into the higher classes, mostly the brothers Ri and the Broadbeams. The trio seemed to be trying to come up with something they could pull on the bugger that could not be traced to them, but still teach him a lesson.

A warmth spread through Sam as she watched them for a few moments, joy and elation flooding her because they were all alive and healthy and she was just so happy to see them! Sam had known her plan had worked, she had known that Thorin sat on the throne and that Fili, Kili, and the rest of the Company lived, but it was another thing entirely to actually see them after so long apart, after not being able to see them right after the Battle of the Five Armies, now knowing anything other than they had lived.

All three of her dear friends were healthy and hale and it just made Sam so happy. But she couldn't help but notice that they looked quite a bit different than the last time she saw them.

None of them were wearing the modest and worn clothes that they had always wore, wearing decidedly more lavish clothing, though that might be because they had, based on their conversation, just come from a council meeting, and apparently Ori was now the Royal Scribe (Sam did an internal cheer of 'Go Ori!' when she heard that, glad that Thorin had given him a good position and so proud of him for apparently doing it so well, and ignoring the asshole from the Iron Hills).

Fili and Kili were decked out in what could only be royal robes, the fabrics finely textured and richly colored, though they did not look as gaudy as one might expect for royal trappings, but that might be just because Fili and Kili would refuse to wear anything that was. Their tunics, in their favorite colors (red and blue, respectively), had different geometric patterns on the borders, soft looking pants, and rich coats with fur collars, though Sam could see more layers that the two had apparently shed, all over the floor, in true Fili and Kili were both also wearing what looked to be new leather boots of rich brown with fur at the tops, but, again, the two were just acting like themselves rather than proper princes, not that Sam would have them any other way, as they both had their feet on a low table in between the three, where lay the remnants of a meal from what Sam could see.

Ori was no longer wearing his home-made knitted cardigan or mittens, nor was he wearing his threadbare robes or worn out boots, but was wearing an embroidered, purple tunic and black pants, with new leather boots that didn't look like they had quite been broken in yet. He also apparently had plum colored robes, but, like Fili and Kili's coats, it was hanging over the back of his chair, and, for some reason lost on Sam, there were also two short handled war axes sitting beside Ori's chair (did he learn to use them while I was gone? are those the ones he used in the Battle, like I saw in my vision?)

The trio also seemed to have quite a few new beads in their slightly-longer-than-she-remembered hair, beards, and mustache (still only Fili, though Ori and Kili's were beginning to fill in), but, likely still wary of the gold sickness, none of them were flashy or absurdly bedazzled with gems, just new for them, as were some of the braids she spied in their hair, especially on Kili (Sam couldn't help but think he looked good with the two, small braids in front of his ears, and they made him look like he didn't have perpetual bed head anymore, which was good, because she couldn't imagine the court being terribly happy about the way Kili had had his hair originally).

The only thing that bothered Sam about the appearances of Ori, Fili, and Kili was the deep sorrow and guilt she saw in all of their eyes, the way they looked thinner and paler, the bags under their eyes, the slump of their shoulders, despite their apparent contentment with their scheming, smiles on their faces. The pain in their eyes (she couldn't help but notice it was more pronounced in Kili) echoing what she had felt while she was gone, how she had looked in those months after the Battle, even when she had been healthy, always aching to see them, to see the Company, her dwarves, her family, because they would always be family to her, no matter what happened, but unable to, because she had been banished.

Sam didn't know why she was allowed in Erebor, she didn't know if Nori telling Thorin that she had brought news of assassins had been enough to gain her the right to recuperate before being sent away again, she didn't know if she was welcome anymore, if Thorin was himself again and could forgive her for what she had done in her attempts to keep them all safe and alive, if she might ever be welcome in Erebor again, all Sam knew was that she had missed them all so, so much and, if Nori's reaction to seeing her, calling her little sister, was anything to go by, then they had all missed her too.

After studying her friends, her dear, dear friends, and thinking, for a few minutes, Sam decided, as they had obviously been waiting patiently by her bedside, and who knew how long she'd been out, that it was high time she let them know she was awake, so she squeezed Kili's hand as she spoke.

"Well, y'all are a sight for sore eyes."

/There's an Inn, there's an Inn, there's a Merry Old Inn/

Fili and Ori went stock still at the sound of a quiet and weak voice coming from the bed, one they would recognize anywhere, one that they hadn't heard in far too long, their eyes jumping to the face of their lass as Kili jumped before whipping around to look at Sam.

Her eyes were open, and she was smiling up at them from the bed.

Their faces all simultaneously lit up with smiles as bright as the sun as they all jumped out of their seats yelling," Sam!"

Sam flinched a little bit at how loud they were, Kili's other hand coming to cover hers entirely as Fili and Ori crowded her bedside, just smiling at her, just too happy to see her to be apologetic for being loud, with bright smiles that Sam returned whole heartedly, though none of them moved to hug Sam or she them because Sam could feel all of the stitches pulling at her skin beneath the nightgown she wore and the trio had been warned by Oin, and Burb, not to be at all rough with her or they would pull her stitches, and they knew they were too excited at the moment to be gentle, so they kept their hands to themselves, although they did all, very, very, carefully, touch their foreheads to Sam's, all four of them, for the most part content, for now, with just drinking in the sight of each other after so long apart, but, before the onslaught of questions that Sam knew was coming started, Dwalin and Nori burst through the door, their weapons drawn, as the duo had been making their way through Sam's quarters to her bedroom to take their turn keeping an eye on Sam.

Apparently they had not heard just what it was that Fili, Kili, and Ori had yelled, they had just heard the yelling and assumed it was a threat.

Dwalin and Nori just stood there, looking around the room, looking fierce, their teeth bared, axes and daggers at the ready, until they realized that there was no threat, and they dropped their weapons to their sides, slowly sheathing them as they began glaring lightly at the trio of youngsters for yelling, all of whom were staring at the two older dwarves, bewildered by their entrance. They were about to ask Fili, Kili, and Ori what had happened to make them yell and cause Dwalin and Nori to make fools of themselves, but then they heard a giggle.

A girlish and familiar giggle, one heard at Bag End, so long ago.

And it was coming from the bed, where they could see a familiar face smiling, a small hand waving at them.

Dwalin and Nori looked at each other for a moment, stuck to their spots in shock, surprise and joy spreading across their faces as Fili, Kili, and Ori began to chuckle themselves, their attention returning to Sam, but, again, before they could ask her any questions, or she could ask them any, their mouths open, Dwalin and Nori ran across the room and crowded around the bed too, jostling the trio with the force of the impact, earning the two now oblivious older dwarves slight glares and eye rolls from the trio, which only made Sam giggle more, her still unevenly shorn hair (as, though it looked awful and was the doing of those who had done her harm, the Company refused to do anything to her hair without her express permission, because, even if she wasn't a dwarrowdam, she was still, and hopefully would continue to be, living among dwarves) in a wild mess about her head waving as she giggled (not enough to bother her stitches though), all of them just smiling more and chuckling a little more, just so glad to finally see their lass awake, to see she seemed as happy to see them as they were to see her, the fact she was giggling making them even more happy, even as Dwalin and Nori touched their foreheads to Sam's before giving her some space, though they did by no means move away from their now awake lass.

Dwalin moved to sling his arms over the shoulders of the princes and Nori began leaning against his brother's shoulder, arm slung around Ori's other shoulder, both smiling at Sam as she smiled back, their eyes bright.

But, much to the annoyance of Fili, Kili (especially Kili), and Ori, Dwalin got the first word in.

"I'll be damned! The orc was tellin' the truth!"

Sam blinked, taken by surprise by Dwalin's exclamation, her face taking on a confused expression as she spoke, Sam just staring at Dwalin, utterly surprised that he and Nori hadn't instantly killed Burb as soon as they saw him after finding her in an orc camp, as badly wounded as she was, the fact that he had come to the mountain instead of waiting for her to come get him like they had planned indicating she had been out for a while," Orc? Burb is here?" two beats of silence," I got poisoned again, didn't I?"

All of the dwarves laughed as Sam took on an exasperated expression and face palmed, it terribly obvious that she was very weak at the moment as her hand trembled from the effort of slapping it, lightly, against her own face, all five of the dwarves glad to see that Sam still acted like Sam (just like Nori had said), even if they could not help but look at her worriedly, the fact that she had been poisoned often enough for her to say that bothering them, despite the fact that they could do nothing about it now, her apparent weakness also making them concerned, although it was understandable given that she had been bed bound for two months.

"Aye, lass, you di' get poisoned again, an' you've been out for a while, it's been two months since we talked actually," Sam's jaw dropped open and her eyes widened comically as she stared at Nori, noticing that he, like his brother, was wearing better clothes, the thief decked out in a simple, but well made, blue tunic with an embroidered dark blue coat, very similar to the one he wore on the quest, with brown pants and his usual gloves and bracers, his beard still done in it's three points, but now with patterned silver clasps keeping it together, and the peaks of his hair seemed to be a little higher. Dwalin, well, he still looked like Dwalin, his sleeves still rolled up and axes at his back, no knuckle dusters though, as Sam's eyes flicked between her two saviors, the trio looking content to stay quiet for now, but the big dwarf was also wearing a forest green tunic under an intricately embroidered long vest with different shades of green and brown string making a pattern on it, and earthy brown pants, he and Nori were also wearing their old thick, leather belts. Sam also noticed how the two also seemed to have the same emotions in their eyes, and obvious signs of stress, that the trio did, and it broke her heart to see them all looking like that, to see them in such pain, but it was slowly ebbing away as they all continued to smile at each other, seeing each other again a balm on all of their hearts and minds. Sam's reaction to Nori's words, however (as Sam had taken in all of the changes in the appearances of the two older dwarves in in a few seconds) only drew more smiles from them all," everyone was jealous I got ta talk ta ya," Dwalin smacked his arm, rolling his eyes and chuckling slightly at the fox grinning Nori, fondness in his eyes (a fondness in his eyes that told Sam that their relationship with each other had changed while she was gone, because it was definitely not the fondness of dear friends she saw in Dwalin's eyes, reflected back in Nori's as he glanced at Dwalin, though she refused to jump to any conclusions) despite his apparent annoyance at Nori's true statement, but Nori only grinned more as he continued speaking," but Burb, he's only been 'ere eight days, the aloe vera was brillian', by the way, an' 'e knew exactly wha' was wrong with ya', givin' ya' tha' tea, Oin hadn' been sure wha' was wrong, why ya weren' wakin' up, bu' Burb an' Oin 'ave been takin' righ' goo' care o' ya'," Nori's eyes went a little glassy," We've been waitin' for ya' ta' wake up for foreva', Sam, an' it's goo' ta' finally 'ave ya' back."

Kili broke in here, Nori's uncharacteristic rambling coming to an end, showing just how happy he was to see her awake, how relieved he was that their conversation on the way to Erebor would not be the last they ever had, Ori nudging his brother, all of their eyes reflecting the sentiment as Kili said, Sam's expression morphing from one of pride for Burb to an utterly loving expression as she looked at them," We've missed you so much Sam, so, so much. When Nori and Dwalin found you, we were so happy, so happy to have you back, we're so happy to have you back now, but...," Kili took on a pleading expression as the others changed to concern and curiosity, knowing what he was going to ask," Where have you been? What happened? How did you meet Burb? How did you end up in Rhun?...," Kili looked to be tearing up now, desperate for answers, they way they all were now as everyone crowded a little closer, looking at Sam expectantly," Why did you leave?"

Sam knew that question was coming, but it didn't make it any easier to answer.

So Sam sighed and said," I didn't leave, I was taken," stunned silence met that statement, and then realization started to creep over the faces of her friends, all of them growling (which was new, 'cause Sam couldn't remember Fili, Kili, or Ori ever growling when they were angry), now understanding why only her armor had been found, but before any of them could start cursing or asking details Sam, sighing again, said, holding up a slightly trembling right hand to keep some of her dwarves at bay," But that is a story I would prefer to only tell once, and Burb should be here too because he has a part in it," Nori and Dwalin's eyes flicked toward each other at that, wondering what the orc had to do with Sam's disappearance, but Sam's face brightened from the somewhat dour expression it had taken on as she continued," so would it be possible to get Burb and the rest of the Company here?," then her expression turned a little disappointed, even as the dwarves began to look excited again," Is it even possible for them to just ditch whatever it is they do all day now to come see me?"

Ori chuckled, continuing to smile at her," Sam, they would drop anything to come see you."

Fili added, as Kili nodded emphatically, the sight of him finally acting like his old, silly self making Nori, Dwalin, and Ori laugh, while Sam just smiled wider at the familiar behavior, not knowing how long it had been since he acted that way," Don't you worry, Sam, they'll all be here as soon as they can, as soon as they get the news, besides, they're all in charge now," that got a quirked eyebrow from Sam, who was now very curious to find out what all of her dwarves had been up to in her absence," we'll tell you about that later, but they don't worry about having to get permission to come see you or anything, so, rest assured, they will be here before too long, and we just need to go and get Burb."

"Aye, tha' they will be," Dwalin and Nori looked at each other, nodding," because we're gonna go an' get em' an' the or-," Sam gave Dwalin a light glare, her still slightly bruised face, the gash on her forehead now only a red line, gazing up at the large dwarf as he gained a chagrined expression and quickly corrected himself, drawing chuckles from Nori, Ori, Kili, and Fili, which all got them slight glares themselves, which they promptly ignored," uh...Burb."

Sam nodded and smiled back at them all as Nori and Dwalin took their arms from around the youngsters, after patting them on their backs as the trio nodded, glad they wouldn't have to leave Sam's side, and stood up straight, giving Sam and the trio of young dwarves soft, and eager, smiles as they turned to leave out the door they had burst through just moments before.

"We'll be back with the others before too long."

And Nori smiled fondly, because there was that bright, cheeky smile they had missed so much.

"Thank you, Oso y Zorro," Nori and Dwalin just smiled more brightly as they heard the nicknames she had given them what seemed so long ago, listening to a small chorus of thanks from the other three before they turned their attention back to Sam, the lovers (though they didn't think Sam could tell that, yet) heading out the door, hearing Sam say before they were out of hearing range," God, I can't wait to see everyone again!"

And they couldn't wait to see her either.

/Beneath an Old Gray Hill/

Bifur and Bofur were having a sense of deja vu.

Because Nori was yelling down the main mineshaft again, for the second time in as many months.

Bifur and Bofur were a little deeper in the tunnel they had been helping shore up the first time Nori showed up to get them in the middle of the day, inspecting the quality of a sapphire deposit that had been found near the new vein of silver, but they still heard Nori, as the middle Ri brother could be quite loud when he wanted to be.

So, as Bifur and Bofur were walking back to the entrance of the tunnel, seeing the same lad had come down with mine chairs for them, likely at Nori's insistence, the cousins tried to figure out what in the world would have Nori yelling at them from the top of the shaft in the middle of the day this time.

And then they both stopped, staring at each other for a few moments, because the last time Nori had done this was when he had brought Sam back, so the only logical conclusion was...

Sam was awake!

Bifur and Bofur then ran to the end of the tunnel, hopped in the mining chairs, startling the poor lad holding them, and tugged on the ropes to get them up as soon as possible.

And, sure enough, when they got to the top and hopped out of their chairs, there was Nori, grinning like a fox.

"Guess who just woke up?"

All of the smiths and miners were then treated to another spectacle of three members of the King's Company, the Mine Foremen and Spymaster, again, jumping around, hugging each other, and whooping like little dwarrowlings before racing off like they had the last time the Spymaster had shown up in the middle of the day.

All the smiths and miners just looked at each other, some amused, some annoyed, and others just confused by their behavior, the general consensus being that the King's Company (especially those three) were an odd lot, so they all just shook their heads and went back to work.

/And There They Brew a Beer so Brown/

Bombur didn't need to be told just what was going on when his brother and cousin both barreled into the kitchen again, the looks on their faces were enough to tell the Royal Cook that their lass was awake, which had him grinning like mad and tackling Bifur and Bofur in a big hug.

The three Broadbeams then proceeded to make a spectacle of themselves for the entirety of the kitchen staff before racing off again, Bombur's second in command not needing to be told to take care of everything for the rest of the day.

Now Dori, all he needed this time was to see his brother smiling brighter than the sun, after nearly slamming into the doorway at a dead run, skidding to a stop just before impact and dashing into his shop, yelling his name, to know Sam was awake, and, once again, his customers were not happy to be kicked out, but none of them were willing to piss off the Spymaster and Guild Master, not when they both had the potential to be very dangerous.

/The Man in the Moon Himself Came Down/

Oin was in the back of the infirmary, at his apothecary station, working on making more batches of the medicinal teas and antidotes to various orcish poisons that Burb had taught him while they were treating Sam (he had been surprised when the orc had so willingly taught him the remedies, and how to prepare them, but he could not help but think that Burb was trying to get in all of their good graces, especially Thorin, Dwalin, and Nori's, to make himself useful to Erebor, because, when Sam awoke, he did not want to be sent away), intent on making sure they had enough to treat at least one contingent of guards for a week, as it was not unusual for patrols to run into random orcs, so that what had happened with Sam would not be repeated.

Oin was humming as he worked, so focused on what he was doing that he did not notice the commotion at the doors of the infirmary until the causes of the commotion were dragging him away, backwards.

Dori and Nori.

Both of the elder brothers Ri had one of Oin's arms hooked through one of their own, smiling brightly and obviously excited, dragging him bodily toward the doors quickly, Oin's assistants just staring at the three, but seemingly unsurprised by their antics at this point.

Before Oin had the chance to get annoyed and demand to know what was going on, Nori said in his ear, loud enough for him to hear clearly," She's awake."

And that was all Oin needed to make him wrench himself from the grips of Nori and Dori (both of whom let him), and run out of the infirmary under his own power, the cackling Nori and smiling Dori quickly catching up to the older dwarf, all of them heading in the direction of Sam's quarters.

/One Night to Drink His Fill/

Gloin was sitting in his quiet office, near the treasury, the only sound that of his assistants counting out coins, going over account books and what needs to be paid to who when, wondering when his day would be over or something interesting would happen.

Then Dwalin popped his head through the open door, saying," Sam's awake, get ta 'er quarters now!"

And he was gone as suddenly as he had appeared.

Gloin stared blankly at the spot where his cousin's head had been in his doorway for a few moments, blinking at the empty space a few times before he really processed what Dwalin had said.

Gloin's assistants had never seen him move so fast as when he suddenly barreled out of his office and down the hall, toward the Royal Wing.

/The Ostler Has a Tipsy Cat/

"Balin, these lords from the Iron Hills are not interested in the restoration of Erebor...They are greedy bastards who only want for the gold of the treasury and the riches of the mines, that much was obvious when they all threatened to leave if Bofur and Bifur were to remain the Mine Foremen in place of one of them, huh, they thought themselves so rightfully entitled to those positions, despite the fact that they would have never even gone down to the mines, or know anything about mining. Spoiled brats, the lot of them," Thorin chuckled smugly, a derisive smile on his face at the memory, Balin just shaking his head and rolling his eyes, knowing Thorin was right, but unable to offer a solution to the issue," though how quickly they quieted when I made it clear that Bofur and Bifur would not be removed from their positions for any reason, especially not just because they were not born into the nobility, they had not thought I would value our Bifur and Bofur above the lords that had served under my grandfather. The looks on their faces," Thorin regained his previous frustrated expression," Why do we need to continue to suffer the presence of these idiots? Why can I not keep them from harassing me with their opinions, when many of them are not even part of the Council? Not to say that those who are part of the council are any use..."

Balin could only shake his head again, chuckling slightly at Thorin's accurate commentary, the look in his eyes already telling Thorin there was nothing to be done for the situation," We cannot just brush off these lords, Thorin, they are an economic force that we need to help restore Erebor, even if their political machinations are grandiose and self-serving, not to say they are not annoying, though relatively easily ignored, but, regardless, we cannot just ignore them either," Balin sighed as Thorin growled, sliding lower in his seat behind his desk in his office, Balin sitting across from him, unable to hide his a small smile at the way that Thorin more resembled a pouting and unhappy Kili at the moment than a king," I know it is difficult for you, but you must engage them, act as if you care, if only to keep the peace."

Thorin sat back up and leaned across the table on his forearms, his eyes blazing," But Balin, these...these...," Thorin was terribly annoyed and angry at these buggers, not even yet aware of how they were being rude to the brothers Ri and continuing to be so to the Broadbeams, nor of how his nephews and Ori when plotting against them," flies," Balin simply raised an eyebrow as Thorin spit out the word," have been speaking against Sam, against the housing of a traitor, against saving her life, even though she had been tortured by orcs, regardless of the fact that I rescinded my judgement against her, that we have the Arkenstone, and their supposed loyalty because of the oaths sworn on it, because she made Thranduil and Bard promise to return it to the line of Durin as soon as what was promised them was given. I do not even want to know what they would say if they knew we were keeping Burb alive to help save her," Thorin growled again, got up from his desk and began to pace the floor of his office, Balin beginning to scowl, sympathetic to Thorin's rage," I don't think their opinions would change even if they knew Sam brought news of assassins, for the sake of saving the lives of the royal family, huh, if they are even concerned with our survival," Thorin shook his head," They speak against her before she has even woken, before she has had a chance to prove herself to them, to show just what she can do, why we trust her and care for her so, they do not even take into account all that she did for us during the quest," his shoulders slumped," They are acting the same way I did when I first met her...judging Sam before knowing her," Thorin groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, guilt in his eyes, always in his eyes nowadays, Balin's angry expression at the mumblings against Sam softening slightly at Thorin's distress," I could put up with them more easily if I wasn't always subjected to their grumblings about Sam...If I ever find out how her identity got out I'll..." Thorin growled again.

"Thorin," Balin stood from his seat and stopped Thorin in his pacing, placing a kind hand on his shoulder, understanding in his eyes, even as he had an admonishment on his tongue," I understand why it bothers you, why it makes them harder to deal with, but you must do this, you must put up with them, regardless of the things they say, especially since they might try and use your attachment, the attachment of the entire Company, against any of us, against you especially. You must show them you are above their petty grumblings and schemes. You must stand strong," Thorin was still scowling, so Balin pulled out his trump card," if not for yourself and the others, then for Sam," that did it, Thorin's face softening, even as Balin felt a pang of regret because of the intensified guilt in his eyes," and have faith Thorin," Balin smiled up at his friend, a wistful look in his eyes, getting up on his toes to lightly tap their foreheads together," because you and I both know that, as soon as Sam is well and walking about, and in true arguing form, she will show them just what she can do, and no doubt put them in their place," Balin and Thorin both smiled at that thought, because it sounded just like their lass, Balin glad to see some of the guilt in Thorin's eyes receding," So don't worry about those idiot lords, they will be dealt with when the time comes, and they will come to rue their words when Sam gets done with them."

Balin winked at Thorin, and that drew a small chuckle from the troubled king, the hope that Sam would stay in the mountain for the rest of her life and take her rightful position in the court, if she was willing of course, lightening his mood slightly.

"Aya, tha' they will, though i' will probably be happenin' sooner than ya' think."

Thorin and Balin both turned toward Dwalin, who was now standing in the doorway of the office, leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed, looking intimidating even when he wasn't in his normal Captain of the Guard uniform, a smug smile on his face, drawing confused looks from his brother and king.

It was Balin who asked," And why do you say that, brother?"

Dwalin's eyes were twinkling, happy and eager to see their reactions, and to get back to Sam, as he said," Sam's jus' woke up, an' she can't wait ta see us all."

Thorin and Balin stared at Dwalin for a moment, not having expected Sam to wake in the amount of time Burb had predicted, then Thorin ran out the door, Dwalin skillfully avoiding a collision from the expected action, he and Balin following close behind.

And Erebor was once more treated to the sight of the King barreling though Erebor, as his office was near the throne room and council chambers rather than near his quarters, with a cackling Captain of the Guard and puffing Royal Advisor not far behind.

/That Plays a Five-Stringed Fiddle/

Dwalin, however, did not go with his king and his brother to Sam's quarters, he detoured to the prison to retrieve Burb, the orc he had apparently grossly misjudged.

Dwalin walked down a hallway of the prison towards Burb's cell, keys in hand, and a decidedly neutral expression on his face, as he was unsure how he should act toward Burb now that Sam herself had confirmed that he was her friend, and that he had cured her of poison before. The youngest son of Fundin still didn't like that Burb was an orc, but that was, really, his only reason for not liking him at this point.

Dwalin wasn't sure if he could ever hope to warm up to Burb, but he knew he would have to try to at least be friendly to the orc, for Sam's sake.

Dwalin finally came to stand in front of the door of Burb's cell, deciding on a small, unthreatening (hopefully) smile and trying not to scowl as he took in the sight of Burb sitting in the back of his cell, head on his knees and his arms wrapped around his folded legs. He really wasn't an unpleasant fellow, and he had been entirely cooperative, not putting up any fight at all when he was imprisoned or when he was transported to and from Sam's quarters.

Burb's ears were cocked in Dwalin's direction, no doubt wondering why he hadn't opened the door yet or said something somewhat rude.

Dwalin sighed, finally opening the door, and Burb looked up.

"Sam's awake."

When Dwalin saw how Burb's eyes brightened and how happy he looked at the news, Dwalin thought he might just have an easier time being friendly to Burb than he had originally thought.

/And Up and Down He Saws His Bow/

Ok, I spoke too soon. My life has abruptly become more crazy than it was previously, so I'm gonna stick with the once a calendar week updates, but, for the next few weeks, I might either be late or not update because I simply won't have the time to write...unless I do mini-updates, which I might do, but I'm not sure yet.

Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Mini-update it is!

Enjoy!

/Now Squeaking High, Now Purring Low/

The scene that Dwalin and Burb found when they entered Sam's quarters was one Dwalin had not seen in a long time and Burb had never witnessed.

The dwarves of the Company were all crowded into Sam's bedroom and they were all tittering, talking to Sam, smiling, laughing, and happy, happier than they had been in a very, very long time. The scene was even complete with the sight of the absurdly smiley Bofur and Bifur being berated by Oin for getting dirt from the mines on Sam when they had touched foreheads, Sam, predictably, was rolling her eyes from behind Oin, making Bofur and Bifur (and everyone else) laugh.

It was almost like everything was back to normal.

Then Sam spotted Burb.

"Burby!"

The already grinning orc grinned even more brightly at the sight of Sam awake and smiling at him from her bed, rather than just laying there unaware and passive as she had been since he arrived, so, without even glancing at Dwalin (the face he made at Burb's utter disregard for him after seeing Sam only made Nori laugh, and pull Dwalin in his direction by the elbow, an entirely fond expression on his face), Burb went to Sam's bedside and began to purr, throwing everyone but Sam, Oin, Dwalin, Nori, and Ori for a loop, as they pressed their foreheads together, drawing a few unhappy noises from the Company, but the smile on Sam's face kept their mouthes shut.

What threw everyone for even more of a loop was that Sam and Burb began talking to each other in Black Speech.

'I am so glad to see you awake, my friend. You had me and your dwarves worried.'

Sam pulled her head away from Burb so she could look give him a once over, a little concerned about him being in Erebor, his health the most obvious concern in a city full of beings that hated his kind, but Sam found Burb to be in good shape, all things considered. Burb just looked tired, his worry lines easing away as he took in the sight of her recovering from yet another bout of poisoning, the work he and Oin had been putting in to take care of her obvious. Sam's attention was focused on Burb as they spoke, though she still noticed all of the surprised expressions on the faces of her dwarves, saying,' I know I worried everyone, but it's not like I do it on purpose. I am glad to see you too though, Burb.'

The orc only smiled as he shook his head at Sam, just glad to see that she was acting like her old self and was not afraid of him after what she had been put through by her captors, then his attention, not for the first time, was drawn to her horribly hacked hair.

Burb reached up and brushed the backs of his fingers against the edges of the uneven strands of her hair, a troubled look coming over his face, even as he ignored the slight growl from Dwalin at the action, and slightly disapproving looks from some of the other dwarves (mainly Dori, Gloin, and Thorin, because Balin was trying to keep an open mind), Sam rolling her eyes at the protective dwarf and his antics, as well as the predictable behavior of some of the others at what was considered a very intimate gesture by dwarves,' Your hair was finally looking healthy after all of those months,' Sam simply shrugged her shoulders,' and they took your beads. I have some extras in my pack I can give you,' Sam's shoulders had slumped when he pointed that out, the orc seeing the way she missed them and what they meant by the way she fingered the ragged ends of her hair, nodding, Burb smiled slightly,' if your dwarves let me of course,' they both smiled at that, Sam and Burb knowing that their close friendship and habits, in regard to each other, were very likely to either bother or confound the dwarves, and they were looking forward to bugging them. Burb sighed after a few moments, remembering the matter at hand,' You must tell me what happened later, but now I do believe we have a story to tell.'

Both Sam and Burb's heads turned when Kili asked, an incredulous (mirrored on the faces of many of the Company) and confused expression on his handsome face," You speak the Black Speech now?"

All of the dwarves were looking at Sam quizzically as she turned to face them, their eyes flicking between their lass and her orcish friend, some of the older dwarves a little unhappy with this discovery, but unwilling to make a comment, because they didn't want Sam to feel at all unwelcome, though they would be hard pressed to do that after the way they had all reacted to seeing her awake. Everyone, as soon as they came bursting though the door, Nori some how managing not to run into the door, had immediately come over to her and told her how happy they were to see her, asked her if she was alright, and touched foreheads with her (she and Bifur had also done the 'I love you' hand sign to each other, making everyone smile), though Thorin, decked out in full royal trappings, had not come forward, and was lurking behind everyone else, not making eye contact with her, or anyone else, though they seemed to be avoiding making eye contact with Thorin as well, everyone knowing exactly what the proverbial oliphant in the room was, not that Sam could blame Thorin, she wasn't quite sure what to do around him or say either.

Sam had forgiven Thorin for what happened on the battlements, and did not blame him for anything that had happened since, and Thorin knew that, because Fili, Kili, and Ori had told her that Bilbo delivered her letters, but she wasn't sure where she stood with Thorin anymore, whether she was welcome in Erebor, or whether he had forgiven her for trading the Arkenstone, whether he was actually happy to see her...

Sam didn't know where she stood with Thorin, but she did know she was happy to see him, ALIVE and healthy and himself, even if he may not be so happy to see her, so she was content to keep an eye on him from the corner of her eye the same way he was her, and that was enough...for now, because she knew they would need to address their issues eventually, just not right now.

All of the dwarves, Sam noticed as she allowed her eyes to wander over her friends, sans Bofur and Bifur, who were both filthy and wearing durable, but worn clothes, were dressed in quality clothes that were indicative of their jobs (such as Oin's robes having plenty of pockets for medicines and tools of his trade), though still very much resembled what they had always worn. Sam also couldn't help but notice how they all had changed, mostly by looking less healthy than she remembered them being, Bombur and Bofur both being quite a bit thinner than they ought to be, and more so than everyone else.

Sam also noticed, as she watched everyone buzz with excitement, moving around her room (apparently these were her quarters in the Royal Wing, courtesy of Thorin. Maybe he was happy she was back?), that Bofur and Fili seemed to be limping slightly, and that Ori and Kili seemed to be moving one of each of their arms stiffly, making Sam wonder just what kind of injuries they might have sustained in the Battle of the Five Armies, especially ones that may have had lasting effects (she would need to ask them to tell her their own story later).

Burb, as Sam was surveying her family and thinking, settled himself against the wall right next to Sam's bed, curling up much the same way he had in his cell, in preparation for the long story that would need to be told to appease the curiosity and fears of Sam's dear dwarves.

"Aye, I do," Sam smiled a tad sardonically, her expression chagrined as she continued," Comes in mighty handy when you get caught by orcs, but it's not the only language I learned while I was away."

The Company winced at the reminder of just what Sam had gone through so recently, on her way to warn them no less, but none of them had a comment, as they were all too grateful she was there with them and not lying dead in that camp, that they had been wrong, so they just nodded in agreement.

Sam's expression became more serious as she asked, glancing at Burb before her gaze slid over the members of the Company, the people she had spent every waking moment with for nearly a year," So where do y'all want me to start the story?"

Balin, who Sam noted was wearing much the same clothes as she had always seen him wear, though now they were in better shape, but definitely a bit more lavish in their decoration, and of better quality, his old eyes glowing with happiness at seeing Sam awake again, seeing her smile and laugh again after so long, heart light with the knowledge that she had not paid the price for their stupidity and greed, seeing her healthy when they had almost thought her lost again, taking on a guilty expression, some pain and regret haunting his kind eyes, a look gained by the rest of the Company as he said," Please start from the beginning of the Battle of the Five Armies, as no one could tell us what happened to you after you took your position on the battlefield."

Sam nodded, took a deep breath, and began," When the Battle started, I was at the base of Raven Hill. I fought against the line of orcs and goblins and wargs for some time before I found myself dueling one very large orc, I think he was Bard's height," the Company was listening raptly to Sam, eager to finally learn what had happened, what had taken her from them that day, but knowing that much of what Sam had to tell would likely distress them, based on her many new scars and the things she must have endured to gain them," and he managed to push me back to the top of the hill, no one else could lend me a hand because they were preoccupied, so we both danced around the top of the hill for a bit before I was able to cut off both of his hands, because he had been wielding a large, two-handed battle axe, but I was too quick for him," the dwarves could not help but feel proud of Sam for that", and then it was a simple thing to cut off his head," Burb had one ear cocked in Sam's direction, because he had already heard this part of her story, while the Company looked pleased by her ability, thanks to their training, to take down such a large, well-weaponed orc by herself," It was after I had slain the giant orc that I realized I could see all of you across the battlefield from the top of the hill, something I hadn't realized was possible or else I would have gone up there sooner, and I was so relieved to see you fighting together as a unit with help from Dain and his men, that you were all alright, and still fighting."

The eyes of the Company widened, for they had not thought that Sam would be looking for them, watching them during the battle, not after what they had done, or allowed to be done to her, but, really, they should have known (Fili, Kili, and Ori had actually been surprised that Sam had never showed up to fight by their sides) and, had they been themselves that day, they would have been looking for her too, or at least spotted her on top of Raven Hill.

Sam was smiling wistfully at the memory of how happy she had been to find them that day, but then she stopped smiling, her expression becoming more serious as she continued," And then I saw Azog fighting Thorin, with all of you, surrounding him, trying to keep their fight from being interfered with by any of his followers," her eyes took in the way the Company, especially Thorin, stiffened and grew more somber at the memory, for that portion of the Battle had been the most nerve wracking and worrisome of the entire day, because they had been afraid they were going to lose Thorin, that they would lose each other, that all they held dear would be lost for naught but worthless gold," When I saw that, I knew I couldn't waste my chance to help you, Thorin," Sam looked at Thorin, the dwarven king not recognizing the look in her eyes, only know it was not one of fear or distrust, but more so worry and guilt and affection," so I pulled out my bow, took aim, and shot the bastard in the neck, I was-"

"That was you?"

Thorin almost whispered his question, but Sam heard it, and was surprised to see the entire Company, and Thorin, staring at her in wide eyed surprise, gratefulness and pride entering their eyes as they continued to look at her, only now beginning to understand just how large of a part Sam had played in their victory and survival that day, though they remained in the dark about just what she had done to preserve all of their lives, especially those of Fili, Kili, and Thorin.

"Yeah...that was me, why?"

Sam had her head cocked to the side, a questioning look on her face as Burb looked between the dwarves and their lass, trying to figure out where this was going, what had happened that Sam had somehow missed.

Thorin stepped forward, closer to Sam's bed than he had dared go, than he thought Sam would be comfortable with, closer than any of the Company had thought he would get to their lass after everything that had happened, glad to see him ignoring his misgivings, if only for a little while, but Thorin was still quite a distance from Sam, his face full of awe and disbelief as realization and understanding stole over his face," That shot, and the distraction it provided for Azog, was what gave me the opening I needed to turn the tide of our fight in my favor," Thorin couldn't believe it, even after she had been banished, after he had almost killed her, Sam had still been watching out for him, helped him, and, ultimately, saved his life (if only Thorin knew how true that was)," that arrow was what allowed me to kill Azog."

Crickets chirp for a few minutes, enjoying their solo.

"Oh."

Sam had not been expecting that, she hadn't seen the rest of Thorin's fight with Azog, so she hadn't known how the Great White Orc died, her only intention when she shot that arrow was to keep Thorin safe, but, if it helped him kill the bugger, then she had definitely accomplished her goal.

Sam had a completely surprised expression on her face as she looked at Burb, who looked back at her with a bemused expression, as he really wasn't surprised by this development, knowing Sam as he did, her devotion to protecting those she cared for always having interesting results, especially in getting them within the gate of Erebor, then Sam looked back at Thorin, who still had a mirror of her own expression on his face, and smiled a small smile at him, hoping that the ice was broken now, but Thorin only started and looked away as he returned to his spot behind the rest of the Company, though he did peer at her from around their friends. Sam's smile dimmed a little at this, because she really wanted things to be ok between them again, but that was obviously going to take a little work, on both their parts, not that she was entirely sure what needed to be done to get them back to where they were before everything went wrong, or if they could ever hope to get back to that place.

So, Sam sighed, a slightly pleased expression on her face as she continued, though it quickly morphed into a serious expression again," Well, good. I'm glad I could help you kill the bugger. So, anyway, after I took that first shot, I was preparing to take another, when everything went black, because, as I later found out, I was hit on the head with a club from behind," now the dwarves looked apprehensive," but when I next opened my eyes, I wasn't on the battle field anymore..."

/Now Sawing in the Middle/

So there you go. I hope y'all enjoyed that, although I know it didn't really have a lot of stuff happening. After the next chapter we'll, I think, really be getting into the meat of the story, or at least out of the introductory part setting everything up at the beginning like I had in my last story.

Reviews are always appreciated!

Next time: we finally found out what happened to Sam!


	8. Chapter 8

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

This entire chapter is a flashback.

Enjoy!

/So the Cat on the Fiddle Played Hey-Diddle-Diddle/

Sam's head was throbbing.

She put a hand to the back of her head and found one hell of a goose egg, but, thankfully, no blood, whatever orc or goblin had hit her had clobbered her hard, but apparently with something blunt.

Probably with a club.

Damn bastard.

Sam groaned, lowering her hand from the back of her head, and began to push herself up off the ground, but then it dawned on her.

She was not on the battlefield anymore.

Sam's first clue that she was not at the Battle of the Five Armies anymore, that she had no idea whether her plan to save Fili, Kili, and Thorin had worked, and might never know their fates as a result, was the ground Sam felt beneath her fingers. It was not the dirt and sparse grass of Raven Hill, or any of the other land outside the gates of Erebor.

It was cold, hard stone.

It was then that Sam began to notice other things about her environment, through it's dark and ominous atmosphere as she glanced around from her prone position on the floor, that told her she was not in Kansas anymore.

It was cold, and there was a dank, moist smell, like she was underground, permeating the air, but the underlying scent of decay and blood and sickness made her stomach turn, instantly setting Sam on edge.

Sam finished pushing herself up into a sitting position, her open eyes, full of confusion and fear and worry, focusing more in the dim light as they became accustomed to the atmosphere, and a cold lump of terror settled in her stomach.

It was almost pitch black in the cell she was in, and she knew it was a cell, because she could see the bars keeping her in, the only light coming from what could only be a torch a little ways down the corridor.

Sam looked around and found, she was, indeed, underground, and there was water leaking from the ceiling in one of the corners, obviously the source of the moist smell, and there was moss growing across part of the wall and the ceiling.

And, even better, there was a pile of bones in the corner behind Sam.

The bones of a dwarf.

But Sam didn't have time to contemplate the bones and who they once may have been or even time to address her quickly mounting panic, not knowing where she was or what had happened, because she heard footsteps coming down the corridor, and they belonged to an orc, because she could hear claws clacking against the stone.

That would explain the smell, as this was likely where they tortured their victims.

Of course he would be the one tasked with keeping the human alive, as he was just a snaga that had been taken, along with the rest of his clan, from their mountain home. Forced to serve Azog and leave their relatively peaceful and isolated life, far away from the other peoples of Middle Earth, for a life of toil and drudgery under the lash, often shackled and collared to keep them from escaping Mount Gundabad, and their enslavement. It was just his luck he was deemed more useful due to his knowledge of medicine, and was thus kept a closer eye on due to the value put on his skill, lessening his chances for escape, even if he was allowed more freedom of movement within the majority of the underground, formerly dawrven, fortress.

Sam backed up to the back wall of her cell, though she carefully avoided the bones of the dwarf (though she noted something shiny hidden among the rags of his clothing), waiting for whoever it was who was coming for her, scared shitless with no idea what was going to happen when they saw her, awake and mobile.

Bolg wanter her to survive long enough to send her head to Oakenshield on the anniversary of the Battle of the Five Armies, which was roughly a years time from now. He was a vindictive bastard, the spawn of Azog, and he knew sending the head of the one woman, the one human, he and his group of dwarven rats had allowed into their group, the one they had protected fiercely from the goblins, if their reports were to be believed. Bolg knew Oakenshield and his Company would be more devastated by that loss, of knowing she had been alive and suffering at their hands (he smiled cruelly a this, his long, yellowed canines gleaming in the torch light as he walked down the hall way, the knowledge that someone else would be suffering instead of him, and that he might be able to participate in causing their prisoner pain, made his bloodlust and inherent sadism, the same as that found in all orcs, a gift from their creator, Sauron, rise in his belly, exciting him, but not distracting him from his duties) that they had abandoned her to that fate, than they ever would by a simple assault on their mountain. Bolg was an expert in inflicting pain, both mental and physical, and he was no slouch as a strategist, so he knew that waiting, biding their time and allowing their forces to recover, and then inflicting that pain on the dwarves, would weaken their leadership, their king, and leave them more vulnerable than they would ever have been otherwise. It would be the perfect opportunity to attack, and the orcs of Gundabad would not waste that opportunity.

A shadow fell across the wall outside of Sam's cell. It took the shape of a giant orc, a great hulking beast making his way toward her cell, with a hitherto unknown purpose in mind, though Sam had no doubt it did not bode well for her.

Bolg planned on torturing the human everyday for the next year, maximum pain with minimal damage, to make sure she survived to serve her purpose but could still serve as entertainment for himself and the other orcs, which was why he was the one going to get her, why he was involved at all. Although all orcs hated humans, elves, and dwarves, and those hobbit things, as a rule, and could care less about their well being, it was to be his job to make sure the woman survived all of her tortures, that she lived and endured all that they threw at her for as long as they needed her to stay alive. He was to be the one to tend her wounds, to feed her, to give her water, to drag her to and from her cell whether she could walk or not, her general caretaker.

Sam felt a sharp spike of fear go through her gut, her terror of what could, and likely would, be done to her, to the woman who had aided the dwarves, men, and elves against the orcs, who had helped thwart Azog's attempts to kill the line of Durin during their quest, who had shot Azog himself.

And he hated it. He didn't like humans, didn't have any more sympathy for them, any more than any other orc did, even if her presence meant he would be safe from abuse for a time. He was not going to enjoy this, and he would make sure the stupid human bitch knew it.

Sam feared what they would do to her for her transgressions against them, for defying them, all for the simple fact that she had always done her best to protect her dwarves, and likely for the simple fact that she was human, and a female.

He chuckled, a cruel and monstrous gleam in his eyes, as he wondered if the woman knew how her association with dwarves, with Oakenshield in particular, would damn her now, if she was even awake. He rolled his eyes, sneering into the darkness of the barely lit corridor of cells, most of which with the remains of their previous occupants, who had died as a result of the injuries they sustained while the orcs made sport of them, within them, not unlike the human's current cell. Humans were so weak, even if this one had helped kill Azog. He couldn't help but be internally happy about that, he hadn't liked the orc, he was the one responsible for turning his life upside down, for taking away his clan's peaceful life and making them live and serve him as slaves. Most orcs, unless they were family, clan, didn't like each other, but he carried a special hatred for Azog and his spawn.

The foreboding aura of wherever Sam was only seemed to press in around her more the closer the figure got. All of these thoughts were running through Sam's head as the figure that had been making it's way toward her cell finally came into view.

The orc was not what Sam had been expecting.

Sam was exactly what he had been expecting.

Before Sam's cell stood not a giant, but a small, skulking orc. He (Sam thought it was a he, she wasn't sure she had ever seen a female orc before, so she was just generalizing) probably stood shorter than her, but it was hard to tell as he was hunched forward, his shoulders near his long, pointed ears, clad in naught more than rags, a weathered leather satchel at his side. He had long, sharp claws on both his hands and bare feet, and a scowl on his craggy and cruel face, boils and pimples apparent on his skin, as he peered in at her, scowling, his bloodshot yellow eyes narrowed at Sam, whom he could see clearly with his superior vision in the dark.

His face was all sharp angles and points, his long, pointed nose mirroring his equally pointed chin. His dark gray hair was matted and tied back behind his head, his dirty and seemingly mottled black and dark purple skin shiny with oil in the light of the torch.

All he saw was another human woman, like any other he had ever seen brought back to the fortress for the enjoyment of the other orcs (though he never participated in their "fun," for reasons all his own, including that he had suffered similarly at their hands when he first arrived, beatings and whippings apparently not enough, in their minds, to put him in his place, beneath their feet), the only differences being that he knew this one was a warrior, with powerful allies. She was dirty, almost as much as he was, her hair a mess, covered in bruises and cuts. She wore only a simple tunic, pants, and boots, all of which were in terrible shape, ripped and shredded in places, though, fortunately for her, they showed naught more than some of the skin on her limbs, back, and belly. Her armor had been stripped from her as soon as she had been caught and the only thing of value she had still with her, for her weapons had been taken and hidden in Bolg's quarters as trophies, despite the fact that they had burnt all who had touched them (they thought they were elven made and had a powerful spell on them that would do harm to any servant of the Dark One who dared to touch them) was an elven necklace. They had been unable to remove it, the pendant and chain burning anyone who touched them more than the weapons had, the magic of it keeping it from being ripped from it's bearer by the likes of the orcs of Gundabad, so it remained around her neck. Until the day she would be beheaded at least. Her green eyes were wide with fear as she cowered against the back wall of her cell, carefully avoiding the bones of the dwarf who had been it's last occupant. He snorted, humans.

All in all, this orc, for all his smallness, seemed to Sam to be just like all the others, but that did nothing to quell her fear, for she now could surmise that she had been taken hostage by orcs, and was likely in one of their fortresses. But Sam had no idea why they had bothered to keep her alive, not if they had any knowledge of Thorin's banishing her, something she was not about to tell them.

The orc glared at Sam through the bars of her cell, sneering at the human woman, utterly unimpressed. He could not help but think this woman, the one who had, according to Bolg (who he dared not question nor defy, especially not now, because, now, seeing her, he could not quite believe what she had done, due to fear of punishment, his back still aching from the lashes he had received the last time he had dared to question the authority of the Gundabad orcs over mutts and mountain orcs such as himself, and he had no doubt he would once more be chained and forced to walk around like a slave again if he was disobedient again so soon, throwing his increased privileges for his knowledge of healing, courtesy of his mother, away for nothing, he really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut, likely making the scars from the manacles on his ankles and wrists only worse) aided that scum dwarven king Thorin Oakenshield in killing Azog, was rather pathetic. Seeing her huddled against the back wall of her cell, cowering away from him, as unimposing and weak as he was by orc standards, fear in her eyes, though there was definitely confusion in her gaze (he could hardly blame her for that, he would likely look the same if he woke up in a completely different place that he had thought he would), only made him more disgusted by her than he had originally been when he had been told about his assignment, unwilling, and unable (for now) to stomach the sight of one he deemed beneath even himself, one of the lowest of the orcs in the fortress, and simply unable to understand anything about her, about humans in general, the influence of Sauron coloring his, and all other orcs', thoughts, whether they knew it or not.

If only she knew what Bolg had in store for her, and for that cretin Oakenshield, then she would know true terror, and what was in here eyes right now would seem childish in retrospect.

"So you're awake, human," the orc spat the word, as disgusted by her as she was by him. His scratchy, nasally, and slightly horse voice grated against Sam's ears, having no idea that it sounded like that do to hours of screaming while he was whipped for any kind of perceived slight or disobedience. At his words Sam, looked at the orc's face, and found everything she had been expecting in his face, the darkness of his soul apparent in the cold depths of his eyes.

Sam knew she was scared and that it was terribly obvious to the orc, that she was likely at his mercy, but she still found herself staring him down with defiance in her eyes, a determined look on her face as her body took on a more guarded stance automatically (thank you Nori and Dwalin), or as much as of one as it could on the ground and against a wall, unable to stomach someone looking down at her like that, like she was a little bug beneath his feet, ready to be squished.

It reminded her too much of Mirkwood.

The orc had not been expecting the little spark of fire in Sam's eyes that ignited at the way he looked at her, spoke to her. His raised eyebrow communicated his surprise to her, to which she raised her own eyebrow, daring him to say something else, something worse, but he said nothing.

The orc and Sam stared at each other for a few moments longer, sizing each other up, as he fished the key to her cell out of his clothes, telling her after he had unlocked the door that they would be guarded on their way to see his master so she aught not try to get away, as it would only get her killed, this news dulling some of the fire in her eyes, but not completely because, now that her defiant nature had been aroused, it would not sleep, at least for now. But he could see the wheels in her head already turning (a smart one, she was), knowing she would likely use any tidbit of information given her to try to escape, to try to make a plan.

The orc chuckled darkly as they walked down the corridor, towards two more, larger orcs, who would serve as their guards.

Bolg would enjoy breaking her.

/A Jig That Would Wake the Dead/

Sorry I'm a little late. I have not had as much time to write as I thought I would, so I was running a little behind. Things are still a little up in the air, so I might need to shorten my updates to about this long of a chapter for the foreseeable future, cause I just don't have the time to write more. 10 hour workdays really suck.

So, this flashback might span the next two chapters, or just one more, I'm not sure yet, but I hope you enjoy, and like all the little surprises I have in store for you. *wink wink* ;)


	9. Chapter 9

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Enjoy!

/He Squeaked and Sawed and Quickened the Tune/

Weeks went by, and everyday, unless she was completely unresponsive and in danger of dying, Sam was taken by her orcish caretaker for a session with Bolg, consisting of every torture and mistreatment imaginable, and some he came up with just for her, resulting in a variety of unique scars being made upon Sam's body. Bolg even branded her with the orcish symbols for slut and slave, right on her right hip, an intimate place where any one who used her would know just what she was to the orcs, how little worth she had, damaged and contaminated as she was. It was a mark that her dwarves would understand, would be horrified by, when they left her body somewhere they would find it, after they sent Oakenshield her head, further demoralizing them, and wreaking havoc on their hearts, making it all the more simple to defeat them as their hierarchy of leadership crumbled. It was all part of Bolg's campaign to debase and demoralize Sam before he killed her, to make her suffer as much as possible before he took his revenge for his father's death, to punish the dwarves for their hubris, for their gaul to oppose the forces of darkness and presume to win.

Most days it was just Bolg who tortured Sam, but sometimes it was some of the other orcs of Gundabad (most were not nearly as big as Bolg, but they still towered over Sam's caretaker, and they were just as cruel as their master) if the bugger was feeling generous, Sam's caretaker had even hoped for a go at torturing her, at the very beginning, that very first day when he had started flaying her arms and legs open with a sharp knife, covered in a poison that would make her writhe with pain for hours, but she would not die, because the poison was only meant to harm, not kill, the result of centuries of twiddling with different rare, poisonous plants to make poisons best suited for torturing prisoners for information, or for sport.

But something had changed.

Over the weeks that he had tended Sam, sat at her bedside and made sure she made it through the night, stitched her up, given her medicine, ensured she ate and drank, the orc had changed.

It had all started that first week, when Sam had gained a concussion when Bolg had punched her in the back of the head when she had refused to give him information about Erebor's defenses and entrances, both hidden and obvious, (things she didn't know, but wouldn't tell him even if she did know). So her caretaker had been forced to try and keep her awake for the rest of the day and night to ensure that retained her mental functions, because Bolg wanted her always aware of her tortures no matter what he did to her (though, her caretaker had mumbled once they were out of earshot on their way to her cell, he wouldn't need to worry about her being aware if he simply showed some self control and didn't give her concussions or injuries that risked her mental faculties), always suffering.

To keep her awake, he had resorted to talking to her (because there was really nothing else he could think of to do that might keep her attention, as they had no books in any language she could read and they likely didn't know any of the same games, so he had settled on talking), something he hadn't really wanted to do, but needed to, if for no other reason than to keep himself from harm should Bolg find him lacking in his performance of his, in Bolg's eyes, menial duties, no matter how difficult Bolg made them for him.

He had started off asking Sam questions, basic ones, about her life, her favorite foods, her favorite color, stuff like that, idle chatter he knew humans partook in on a regular basis (he didn't see the point in knowing any of those things about someone unless you intended to make them your mate, and even then it would be overkill by the standards of most orcs, partially because these were things that simply didn't have any bearing in orc culture, and also because, with orcs, they cared more about the battle prowess of their mates, their ability to provide status and take care of one another, and their compatibility, than anything else, they would only care about such things after they were bonded to each other, and then it was acceptable to care about such things), but she had ended up telling him about her family, because all of those questions brought the life she used to have to mind (at least to her concussed mind, because, as much as she missed her dwarves, she missed the simpler, less dangerous life she had led, if only in those moments when she was in the most pain, and felt the most alone), and she couldn't help herself, not that it mattered.

So Sam told him about her life before the dwarves, before her entire world had been turned upside down, hoping to do a variety of things with this tactic, such as distract him from possibly asking questions about the dwarves (like Bolg, though she didn't get the feeling he gave a rat's ass about them), make him curious about things that would do no one any harm, possibly earn his sympathy (she really didn't think it would work, but there was no harm in trying) or maybe even earn a decent conversation partner, because she was more than a little lonely (lonely enough she was considering talking to an orc, Dwalin, Nori, Gloin, Bilbo, and Thorin would be horrified), and he didn't seem as inclined to hurt her as other orcs, though that might be on Bolg's orders, but she didn't know and chose not to worry about it because she was probably going to die, possibly sooner than they intended, or right on time, (she prayed she died too soon for them to carry out their plan, because she really didn't want Thorin, who she hoped was back to his normal self, to receive her head, for them to find her scarred and massacred body, she knew they would blame themselves if they did, that they would feel responsible for her fate, for leaving her in the clutches of the orcs instead of going looking for her because she just didn't want them to suffer like that, and she didn't want Bolg to succeed in conquering Erebor so soon after her dwarves hard regained the home they had so missed) there were orcs everywhere in Gundabad (she still couldn't quite believe she was in frickin' Gundabad!), and she was weakening by the day, so she had no hope of escaping, not without the help of an orc, and a snowball had a better chance in hell than Sam had of that happening.

He had originally thought it might be a chance to earn himself favor from Bolg by providing him with information about her family, so he could punish the human (beyond what he was already doing to her) who had so crossed him as well as the dwarves.

He hadn't been expecting to be told she could never go home, that they were all essentially dead to Sam, that Bolg could never hope to do them any harm.

He hadn't been expecting her story to be so much like his own.

After that night, he found his world becoming clearer and clearer, as if a curtain had been lifted, as if a layer of fog and gloom had finally been permeated by the sun, and he could finally see things for what they were, could see things from a different perspective.

Sam had initially thought she was just imagining it, that she was imagining his eyes becoming brighter, his face changing, starting to look less orcish, that she was imagining their conversations becoming more friendly as time went by, his hands more gentle as he tended her wounds.

Sam had thought she was just imagining it, that her mind was conjuring up things about her environment to make her ordeal more survivable, to deal with the mental and emotional stress of torture (again), that she was slowly, but surely, losing it, because Sam knew, she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that there was no way this orc could be becoming more kind, because how could that happen? Why would that happen? And why would it happen to the one in charge of taking care of her?

But Sam was proven wrong when he asked her a question one night, after delivering her food for the night (they gave her enough to survive, but never enough to live on, she was losing weight rapidly, her body unable to support the amount of repairs that needed to be done to keep her alive, to repair her torn muscles and fractured bone, funny how, funny to Sam at least, that, after a lifetime of being told she was fat, she was finally skinny in a place so far away from home her mother would never know...of course...she had been that way since before Rivendell, not that it mattered now).

"Are you a witch or somethin'?"

Sam sat and stared at him, crouching outside of her cell, from behind the bars of her cell door, her spoon full of gruel hovering between her open mouth and her bowl, ready and set to stuff her face (because she knew they weren't poisoning her food, they enjoyed hurting her too much), completely caught off guard by the question.

Sam placed her spoon back in her bowl, placed her meal on the floor, and sat cross legged across from her caretaker, far enough from the bars so he couldn't reach her if he didn't like her answer, or her questions, (not that it would matter since he had a key, but it was best to be cautious), but close enough to look him in the eye and hold a conversation, something he no longer seemed to shy away from.

Sam realized that his eyes no longer looked like they had the first day they met. His eyes were no longer bloodshot, were now more of a golden yellow than the sickly, washed out shade they had been, and the depths of his eyes were no longer frigid and soulless, but they still lacked warmth, and seemed still to be missing something integral to every other person she had ever met, yet there was more there than Sam had ever seen in the eyes of an orc.

"Why would you ask me that?"

Sam and the orc looked at each other, searching.

Sam was looking for some inkling of what could possibly be happening to the orc across from her, how he might have changed, trying to figure out why he might be changing, because she now realized she wasn't imagining it, it was happening, he was changing, even if she didn't understand anything about it.

The orc was looking at her, trying to figure out what she was, what she could have done to him to change him so, because he had as little understanding as Sam did of the situation.

But neither found any answers just staring at each other.

So the orc spoke, trying to describe just what he knew was happening to him, even though he knew it sounded strange, even to his own ears.

"Because the whispers are gone," Sam stared at him with a blank look, unsure what to make of that statement, and he sighed a long suffering sigh before he continued," I hadn't realized they were there until they were gone. Whispers in the back of my mind, telling me to do things, believe things, think things...feel things...they were always suggesting things...I'm beginning to think that nothing that has ever gone through my head has been my own...that I have never been in charge of myself...of my thoughts, my actions...my feelings...that every thing I have ever known has been a lie, the result of someone's manipulation...their influence," his eyes were distant as he looked off into the corner of her cell, unseeing, at the bones of the dwarf who had been it's prisoner before her, someone Sam was beginning to think she knew the relatives of, after examining them more closely.

Sam followed his gaze, then tried to get his attention, to prompt him to continue, his eyes then focused on her again and he continued his explanation," They stopped a little while after you woke up...after we started talking," he looked up at her, and their eyes met, then they both quickly looked away, as this was too awkward and too weird after everything that had happened, but neither of them could bring themselves to stop what ever it was that was happening, because something about it felt right, because Sam felt a niggling at the back of her mind telling her to listen, to try to understand and help him to understand, because he had no concept of how to exist without the whispers, because they had always been there, but she could help him survive without them.

Though Sam had no idea why she felt like she needed to help this orc now, somehow, even after all she had endured.

It was a sudden change in herself, and she didn't understand. Maybe it was the Valar trying to direct her to what they wanted her to do again.

Or maybe it was just Stockholm Syndrome.

He didn't want to stop talking to her because he needed to say these things, needed to talk it out, to try and figure out what was happening to him, needed to find out why this was happing around her, why it was happening to him. Something new, not malicious and dark like he now realized the whispers had been, was at the back of his mind, something warm and comforting, and it was telling him to talk to her, and, really, she was the only person in the entirety of Gundabad who wouldn't kill him instantly for what he was saying, for any of this.

So he took a deep breath and he continued, his eyes averted from Sam,"...without them...I'm beginning to notice things," the orc looked lost, Sam just became more intrigued, and confused, by the moment as he spoke, not sure where this was going, or why it was happening...or where the whispers might have come from, though something told her they had a malevolent source," I'm beginning to notice...beginning to understand...," the orc looked very conflicted, lost, as if his entire world had just been turned upside down, and it had," beginning to understand that all of this is wrong, the way we orcs live our lives is wrong...it's all so wrong, in so many way... the things we do...the things we do to other beings...to each other," he shook his head as if trying to clear out cobwebs, trying to lift a fog, trying to come to grips with everything that was happening, that was changing without him wanting to, but maybe, just maybe, things needed to change," the whispers...they were always telling me to do these awful things, to believe these awful things...to feel justified in doing those awful things orcs have always done to other peoples...because the world has done wrong by orcs from the very beginning... all of these things that all orcs know...that they don't need to be taught...because from the time we are all just babes we all just know...because the whispers told us."

He lifted his head and looked up at her, clarity shining in his golden eyes.

"And I don't want to live this way anymore...I don't want my life to continue to not be my own...I don't want the whispers to come back," his brows came together as his expression again became troubled," but I don't know how to keep them from coming back."

Sam just stared at him.

She blinked, then shook her head and put up a hand as she tried to collect her thoughts, tried to process everything she had just learned.

"Soooooo...let me get this straight, you, and every other orc in existence, have whispers in the back of your mind, essentially exerting influence on everything you do, making orcs the way they are?"

"Yes."

"And now your whispers are gone?"

"Yes."

"And your beginning to see the world differently? More like, let's say...me?"

The orc shrugged, undecided, but nodded his head anyway.

"And you don't want to live this way anymore?"

He shook his head.

Sam was still trying to come to grips with all of this information, her eyes roving around the hall, flicking back to the orc and studying him for a second before her eyes would leave him.

A few minutes went by until she asked her final question," And you think this all has something to do with me?"

"Yes, I do."

Sam didn't know what to do.

"Well...I have no idea how I could have caused this...or what could have caused it," the orc didn't look like he quite believed that, but nodded slightly anyway as Sam continued," but...I'm glad you don't want to live this way anymore, no one should have to live this way, especially if it's not by their own choice," there was a tinge of gratefulness in his eyes as Sam gave him a small, crooked grin and a nod, but her expression fell as she said," but I can't do anything to help you escape this life you lead, to help you keep the whispers from coming back," now there was panic in his eyes, because he truly, truly could not live this way anymore, he now knew, now understood, that he had been miserable for a long time because of the ways of his people, because he had always been the antithesis of what an orcish male should be, always feeling, in the depths of his soul, that everything was so wrong, but unwilling, unable, to be anything different, both because of the whispers and because an orc rejected by his own kind had nowhere to go, and he likely would have gone insane if he had tried to fight the whispers, and now, after having had a taste of what life free of the shadows that had always been in his mind, finally with another option, it might just be slipping out of his grasp, even though when he had begun to speak to her, to confide in her, the person he thought had allowed him to see the world differently, he had had no intention of asking her for aide in somehow keeping himself free, of living a new life, but they both knew now that that is what he was asking her, what he wanted, yet, she could not help him," I can't do anything here...I am barely surviving here as is," her eyes narrowed at him, reminding him suddenly of the bars separating them, of where they were, what they were, and how she was barely strong enough to get to Bolg's chambers anymore, because she was being tortured, and he had allowed it to happen," I can't help myself, and, if I can't help myself, then I can't help you," her eyes hardened slightly as she looked at him, the orc that was responsible for taking care of her when the others hurt her, making him squirm, because now, now he felt guilty, and she asked," and, besides, what have you done to convince me, without a shadow of a doubt, that you are sincere? That I should help you at all, knowing the risk it poses to myself?"

The orc looked away from her hard look, from the truth of her words and wracked his brain for something he could do, anything he could do to get her to help him keep the whispers away.

And then it dawned on him.

He looked up at her face with hope in his eyes, throwing Sam off as he said," I think I know a way to convince you."

Weeks later, as they both stood on a mountaintop a long ways from Gundabad, looking over the fortress that would soon be in an uproar as they realized that their prisoner had escaped with the help of her caretaker, Sam, looking at the orc who was now her partner, and would likely become a good friend in the weeks to come, as he ensured that she completely healed and recovered from all of her injuries and the poisons she had been given during her imprisonment while they made their way South, into lands controlled by humans and elves, somewhere safer for them, asked," So what's your name anyway? Mine's Sam."

The orc looked at her, a joy like she had never seen in his eyes before shining as he smiled at her, and answered," My name is Burburghurz."

/While the Landlord Shook the Man In The Moon/

I hope you enjoyed that.

Yes, once upon a time Burb was just like all the other orcs, but then he changed. You will find out later just why he changed so easily, why he was always so different from other orcs.

Reviews are always appreciated.

Until next time! Toodles!


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